The Northern Territory's Finocchiaro Government has spent the first day of this month's parliamentary sitting facing accusations it's returning the Territory to "Cowboy Country" where cronies get major projects approved and mates land top jobs. But the Chief Minister has defended her decision to delay sacking the police commissioner Michael Murphy for promoting a friend. She says the NT needs to get new developments fast-tracked, with its new Territory Coordinator law expected to pass tonight.
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00:00A removal of checks and balances on major developments is prompting an upsurge in community
00:14anger.
00:15Territorians will not stand for the complete destruction of democracy in this territory.
00:20Groups from across the NT are concerned the new Territory Coordinator will have the power
00:26to override environment, heritage and building laws, to fast-track projects like gas fields
00:33and industrial precincts.
00:35This government are pushing this law through now to make this company get more stronger
00:40and override us.
00:41With the power to erode indigenous land rights.
00:44They are simply watering it down through this sneaky, slimy, no good business that you do.
00:53The opposition well short of the numbers required to stop the law passing.
00:58Today the CLP take the territory back to cowboy country where it's not based on evidence,
01:05it's not based on science, it's based on who you know, what you know and what you can get
01:10out of it.
01:11The Chief Minister telling business leaders the Territory Coordinator rule is desperately
01:15needed to help revive the economy.
01:18This is now an opportunity to reset and reframe so that we can rebuild the Territory together.
01:24The Chief Minister has also been again forced to defend the eight days it took her to psych
01:29the Police Commissioner Michael Murphy.
01:31In Parliament she tabled the Independent Corruption Commission findings that Mr Murphy acted inappropriately
01:38while promoting a friend to an Assistant Commissioner's job.
01:42The Chief Minister has been dragged kicking and screaming to this position today.
01:47I will never apologise for making the right decisions on behalf of Territorians, for following
01:53the right processes.
01:55The ICAC report found when recruitments are undermined by cronyism, the public loses confidence
02:01in the merits of those appointments and the quality of government services.
02:06The Chief Minister says a judicial review into all senior police appointments will help
02:12the force move on so officers can focus on their jobs, but it will also prolong the controversy.