NT police commissioner ousted amid jobs-for-mates scandal
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The  police commissioner has been given his marching orders after a jobs-for-mates scandal uncovered by a corruption watchdog.

Michael Murphy outed himself as the subject of an Independent Commissioner Against Corruption investigation that found improper and unsatisfactory conduct against an unnamed public official who had mismanaged a conflict of interest in the recruitment of a senior officer.

The Icac report revealed that in early 2024 Murphy had sat on a panel that hired one of his friends.

The NT’s chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, said Murphy’s position had become untenable. “Today, I informed Commissioner Murphy he has lost the confidence of the government,” Finocchiaro said on Saturday night.

“I gave Commissioner Murphy the opportunity to resign. The police commissioner was asked to go on leave effective immediately.”

Martin Dole has been appointed as the acting police commissioner.

“I have now begun the process to terminate the appointment of the police commissioner,” Finocchiaro said.

Murphy came under pressure to resign after Icac labelled his conduct “negligent and incompetent”.

“I found that the conduct involved negligence and incompetence \ in a substantial detriment to the public interest,” said an Icac delegate, Patricia Kelly SC.

The  Police Association had called for Murphy to resign, saying its members’ trust had been destroyed and they would “not forget this betrayal”.



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