Senator Lidia Thorpe has filed a report with the NT Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Tuesday, accusing the NT Attorney-General of “undermining” the independence of the court and its powers.
It follows a leaked email, reported by the ABC, from the NT’s top judge written to the Attorney-General’s Department, asking its acting chief executive not to interfere with the court’s media communications.
Senator Thorpe’s referral to the ICAC expresses concerns the department is “exerting undue influence of the course of justice” and “undermining the independence of the judiciary”.
“The way her department has acted is completely unacceptable,” Senator Thorpe told NITV in a statement.
“I’m not saying the Attorney-General is guilty of anything yet — that’s why I’ve referred this to ICAC to investigate,” Senator Thorpe said.
In September, it came to light that NT Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby has familial ties to Jake Danby, the driver involved in a hit-and-run incident in June 2024, which tragically resulted in the death of an Aboriginal man and injuries to another. Danby notably avoided a jail sentence for this incident.
Calls for a full investigation
The allegations, referred to by Senator Thorpe, reference an email sent by Chief Justice Grant to the CEO of the department, Leonique Swart, as he believed the Supreme Court’s media was blocked from sending a media statement to The Australian newspaper.
In a response to the ABC, both the Attorney-General’s Department and the court’s media officer said the email was the result of a misunderstanding which has since been resolved.
Senator Thorpe has called for a full investigation by ICAC into any attempts to influence court operations.
“ICAC needs to get to the bottom of this, and the NT Attorney-General can’t just shrug it off. If she denies involvement, she should welcome an ICAC investigation,” Senator Thorpe said.
One Aboriginal man dead and another injured
The incident left one man dead and another injured.
The NT Supreme Court heard Mr Danby fled the scene and then labelled the incident a “two for one combo”, calling the victims “dogs” and “oxygen thieves” in text messages to friends afterwards.
It was later revealed that the NT Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby is related to Mr Danby who is her sister’s stepson.
Ms. Boothby clarified that her office had no involvement in the case. Furthermore, she stated that she had informed the CLP opposition leader of the potential conflict of interest at the time of the occurrence.
