NT Labor
'Tough on poor'
By Mick Lambe

May 27, 2003

... Gentle on rich

The reality of "... 400 Territory-wide high-level public servants ..." having Directorships and other commercial associations with companies servicing the Territory government, is a serious one.

Some of these conflicts of interest have been going on for over 25 years. This is corruption on a massive scale.

That government policy has been perverted and Territory public servants have profited heavily from these associations - is a given...

... the direct gains being far easier to assess than the indirect ones of political influence, economic discrimination and a host of other abuse of office offences.

Even if we ignore the regulatory and commercial advantages of having a myriad of supposedly independent government assessors and public servants ( involved in business liaison ) being Directors of the businesses involved - we are still left with massive corruption.

The implications are horrendous. Imagine (for example) an Aboriginal community trying to set up a commercial enterprise in competition to an established company. The normal hardships of wading through government rules and regulations, would be made far more difficult, through the collaboration of government agencies with a common interest in inhibiting commercial independence on Aboriginal communities.

The Northern Territory Police spring to mind as one government body with members who have a wide range of pecuniary interests in the Territory and a proven ability to make life difficult for people on Aboriginal communities - unto killing them.

Mild admonition

NT Labor have not instigated an investigation into the criminal aspects of these 'relationships' - merely told the beneficiaries of these betrayals of the Public trust, to make it look less obvious. Why a millionaire businessperson(s) would want to continue in employment as a Territory public servant under Labor is an interesting question.

In fairness to Labor - Who could one trust to investigate the corrupt business and political climate up here? Certainly not anyone associated with NT Labor.

This gentle (and barely public) reprimand, will also aid NT Labor's many business friends to break into the multitude of lucrative fields - monopolised for so long by the CLP business clan

Parity

So where are the blaring headlines?

Millionaire Public Servants Steal from Poor

Labor sacks 400 Public Servants - more to come says outraged Martin

GO HOME - Public Servants told to leave NT

NT Prisons overcrowded with Public Servants

It is obvious that Aboriginal people who live in the longgrass are considered a far greater problem by the NT Labor government, (and the media) than a corrupt business and political system that has rorted billions of dollars from the Territory for over 25 years.

"This Government is tough on all crime and is determined to create a safer society." - Clare Martin
( 14 May, 2002)

Courts are too tough claim By Paul Jackson May 27, 2003
Territory courts are too tough on criminals, it was claimed last night. The North Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service said a ``particularly harsh sentencing regime'' had caused overcrowding at Darwin prison. NAALAS managing solicitor of crime Gerard Bryant was attacking Attorney-General Peter Toyne's decision to put remand prisoners in with the main jail population.

 

The move has been criticised by the Australian Council of Civil Liberties.

Dr Toyne said he had been forced to take the unusual step because of the unprecedented numbers of people waiting on remand.

He said Darwin's remand centre was over capacity with 104 prisoners awaiting court hearings.

Mr Bryant said Dr Toyne's refusal to consider building better facilities or to look at other reform options, such as bail hostels and supervised bail conditions, would serve only to exacerbate a growing problem of expanding prison numbers.

He said the move also constituted a breach of nationally and internationally recognised obligations of government to keep remand prisoners separate from prisoners who have been convicted of criminal offences.

``Given that a large percentage of the prison population in Darwin is indigenous, NAALAS has expressed concern that many of its clients are being denied fundamental rights and are potentially being placed in an environment where there is a greater risk of harm and contamination, by reason of their contact with the mainstream prison population,'' he said.

``The move by the attorney-general serves to undermine a fundamental principle in our criminal justice system, namely that people are innocent until proven guilty and those that are innocent should not be treated the same as convicted prisoners.''

Northern Territory News

The Territory government yesterday intensified its crackdown on executive conflicts of interest.

About 400 Territory-wide high-level public servants will be banned from holding directorships in private companies involved in any NT government contracts.

Chief Minister Clare Martin told the Northern Territory News yesterday the changes aimed to prevent conflicts of interest, both real and perceived.

"The new rules on directorships in private companies makes a clear statement of the standards we expect," Ms Martin said.

"The NTPS must be open and accountable and, more importantly, be beyond reproach or question by the public. We want to avoid any potential for conflicts of interest, or unfair practices, that could damage the reputation of a department."

Ms Martin said the NT Public Service code of conduct would be strengthened to accommodate the changes.

The code, which already requires disclosure of private financial and business dealings, will now force public servants to officially register their interests.

The decision follows a government investigation into Health Department assistant secretary Stephen Moo, who was also a director of Modular Medical Products Pty Ltd.

The company has won nearly 100 health department contracts, worth millions of dollars.

Mr Moo, who has been told to divest his interests in the company or quit his job, was last week cleared of any conflict of interest.

Northern Territory News