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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 Northern Territory Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby is related to Jake Danby, who was involved in a hit-and-run incident in June 2024. This episode resulted in the death of one Aboriginal man and left another injured, yet Danby managed to avoid serving jail time.
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 has asserted that her office was never involved in the case. Furthermore, she claimed to have disclosed this familial connection to the leader of the Country Liberal Party opposition at the time of the incident.
