Monsoon under glass. Darwin, March 2025

After predictions of a dire summer rain-wise in these parts, we've been blessed with a late season monsoon descended on the Top End of the Northern Territory. The NT isn't alone in getting a good drenching this summer, with Cyclone Alfred taking a slow stroll down the east coast and a large, slow-moving tropical system [...]

“There’s 500 more people in prison … and that’s a good thing.” NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, 10 March 2025

On Monday last – in the midst of an unprecedented leadership crisis in the NT police force and with corrections and the justice system descending into chaos – the NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro was a guest of Katie Woolf’s on her morning show on Darwin commercial radio MIX104.9FM. Katie Woolf is regarded by some [...]

NT Land Councils call on NT Government to bin Territory Coordinator Bill

A joint media release by the Northern, Central, Tiwi and Anindilyakwa Aboriginal Land Councils issued earlier today, 12 March 2025 The Northern Territory’s four land councils have united in calling for the Territory Coordinator Bill to be dumped. The Bill excludes Aboriginal people from involvement in development decisions on their traditional lands and prevents them [...]

Dear Police Commissioner Murphy: “Better get a lawyer, son … better get a real good one”

Part Two – Michael Murphy, the Voldemort clause, the Police Union & the NT ICAC This is Part Two of an article examining recent events involving the NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy, the NT ICAC, the NT government and the NT Police Association. You can read Part One here. Operation Apollo & The Voldemort clause [...]

From Cyclone Tracy to Cyclone Alfred – Glenn Campbell’s life as an ‘Accidental Cyclone Tourist’

Photojournalist Glenn Campbell was covering Cyclone Alfred and called me just before he evacuated from Lismore yesterday afternoon. As ever he’s good for a yarn and yesterday he told me a few tales from a long career chasing cyclones – and much more – as an “accidental cyclone tourist.” Glenn Campbell – Lismore I just [...]

‘He dropped his trousers and farted in my face’ – why Lionel Curtis killed Mo McNaught at the Adelaide River Inn

It was a hot Friday night in October 1979 and a construction crew were well into a session at the Adelaide River Inn, 100 kilometres or so south of Darwin in the Northern Territory, then as now a very comfortable pub set in roomy tree-shaded grounds. Most of the building crew were relaxing with a [...]

Democrats: ‘Our team on the ground is kicking ass’

Vice-president Kamala Harris. Photo: supplied A few hours ago I received an email from Jen O’Malley Dillon, Campaign Chair for Harris for President. Unlike earlier emails—and these past few days there’ve been more than a few—this latest was upbeat and has shrugged off the underdog tag the Harris campaign has worn to date. O’Malley Dillon’s [...]

Runners. San Francisco International Airport, October 2024

I recently flew into San Francisco International Airport and had a 5 hour layover before my onward flight to Newark Liberty airport. An hour-long wait to clear immigration soaked up a chunk of that time and, after stumbling around the seemingly perpetual construction that seems to blight all airports nowadays while I spent more time [...]

“Garrkan: an avian ‘troublemaker for fire'” – presentation to the Raptor Research Foundation conference, Charlotte, NC October 2024

I’m in the wonderful city of Charlotte in North Carolina, and later today I’ll present my paper updating our research into fire-spreading raptors in the Top End of the Northern Territory in Australia at the 2024 Raptor Research Foundation conference. Following are some of the highlights of my presentation. I last presented at the RRF [...]

Go to Top