NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles resigns

Thanks very much for reading Need to Know this Tuesday, December 19. Here are today’s biggest headlines:

- NT Chief Minister resigns: Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles has stepped down following revelations she holds undisclosed shares in a manganese mine.

- Albanese to tour flood-hit areas in Queensland: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will travel to Far North Queensland on Thursday and Friday with Queensland Premier Steven Miles, after he attended a disaster response meeting with state and local leaders today.

- Westpac warns of ‘intermittent’ online network disruptions: Westpac and St George Bank have warned customers that a network outage is affecting their access to online and mobile banking.

- Iceland volcano erupts after intense series of earthquakes: A volcano in south-west Iceland erupted on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) night following weeks of earthquake activity that caused a 10-mile-long fissure in a road and put the country in a state of emergency.

- ‘We’ll give whatever support is necessary’, says PM: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the federal government will provide Queensland with “whatever support is necessary” for its emergency response to record-breaking floods caused by heavy rain after former Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

- Labor MPs join political chorus calling for ceasefire: Federal and state Labor MPs have joined calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, joining more than 200 current and former parliamentarians and councillors in signing an open letter.

- Labor MP recounts ‘terrifying’ Cairns floods: Labor senator Nita Green says “terrifying” flooding in Cairns over the weekend left people placing their children on kitchen benches for safety.

NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles has resigned following revelations she holds undisclosed shares in a manganese mine.

Speaking in Darwin, Fyles said the “honourable course of action” was to step down.

She told reporters she had always endeavoured to declare her shareholdings as they occurred, but upon further review “it became clear I did not declare one of these, a small shareholding in a company called South32”.

“That was in error, an error on my behalf and I do not have any excuse for it. It was not deliberate or intentional but it is unacceptable,” she said.

“I can assure you that no decision I have ever made has been influenced by that small shareholding. High standards are expected from people holding high office, as they should be. I also hold myself to high standards.”

South32 is the company at the helm of a controversial mine in the remote community of Groote Eylandt. Earlier this year, Fyles said the government would not investigate air pollution levels or health impacts after community members raised concerns over potential manganese dust leaks.

The revelation of her shares, worth just over $2000, sparked calls from opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro for her resignation, amid rumours of a leadership change from inside NT Labor.

Fyles said she would officially resign from her role as chief minister on Thursday, and committed to running in the seat of Nightcliff in next year’s election.

“Last night, when I told my boys of my decision, a big smile cracked across their faces. They think it is an early Christmas present, getting their mum back.

“It has been an honour to serve the Northern Territory.”

Central Sydney has been covered in a haze of smoke caused by bushfires burning across northern NSW.

Among the fires is a large blaze within the Pilliga Forest approximately 17 km south of Narrabri and 21 km west of Boggabri.

The NSW Rural Fire Service says the fire has burnt more than 112,000 hectares and has given it the status of “out of control”.

More than 40 additional fires across the state have been brought under control.

Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt has defended the Bureau of Meteorology from criticism it failed to provide adequate warning of the severity of the rainfall in Far North Queensland.

“I’m here to say that we have full confidence in the ability of the Bureau of Meteorology in its prediction systems,” Watt said.

“The reality is that we were dealing with a highly unpredictable weather system … As I said in some media outlets yesterday, meteorology is not a perfect science.

“The Bureau of Meteorology do the absolute best they can with the science they have available. I can’t think of another agency in the world that I’d rather be relying on to make decisions.

“I can tell you, having participated in several of these meetings over the last few days, that the efforts of Emergency Services personnel to keep people safe would not have been possible without the advice of the Bureau of Meteorology … so I’d ask people to keep it in perspective.”

Queensland Premier Steven Miles has encouraged residents to wear enclosed shoes during the clean-up of the floods, saying contaminated floodwaters posed serious health risks.

“We’re asking anyone who is cleaning up mud or damage from floodwaters, please make sure you wear enclosed shoes,” he said.

“Today is not the day to wear thongs. We need enclosed shoes for everyone who could be in contact with contaminated floodwaters or mud.”

Queensland Premier Steven Miles says all levels of government are working together to manage the record-breaking floods that have lashed Northern Queensland since the weekend.

“Now, the clean-up and the disaster assessments begin and I want to assure Far North Queenslanders that just as we have stood shoulder to shoulder with them and provided all that they needed during the disaster, we will be there with them during this clean-up, the disaster assessments and moving into the recovery phase,” Miles said.

He said it was a very important signal that all three levels of government were working closely together through the disaster management arrangements to support far north Queenslanders.

“We have continued since I last addressed the media to see brave, acts of bravery from front-line workers and local heroes, local volunteers, far north Queenslanders are incredibly resilient,” he said.

“I know that they’re tired and some of them are wet, but we continue to see them doing what they do, supporting their neighbours and getting on with the job of cleaning up from this disaster.”

The prime minister says applications for federal government emergency support payments will open online tomorrow.

From tomorrow, 2pm, applications for the federal government’s disaster recovery payment and disaster recovery allowance will open for people who live and work in the affected local areas, including Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Mareeba, Tablelands and Wujal Wujal.

“It is a one-off payment of $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child who suffered a significant loss as a result of the floods, including a severely damaged or destroyed home or a serious injury,” Albanese said.

“The Disaster Recovery Allowance provides for up to 13 weeks of federal income support to assist eligible employees or sole traders who experience a loss of income as a direct result of a major disaster.

“People will soon be able to check their eligibility and how to claim on the Services Australia website.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he will travel to Far North Queensland on Thursday and Friday with Queensland Premier Steven Miles, after he attended a disaster response meeting with state and local leaders today.

“Today has been an opportunity for me to get first-hand briefing on the events in Far North Queensland, which are causing so much distress and hardship for communities and individuals,” Albanese said.

“Of course, there will be some difficult days and weeks ahead. One of the things that I find though is that the worst of times brings out the best of the Australian character.

“We’re seeing that from the stories of Far North Queensland at the moment. I was speaking on radio in Cairns and heard about a helicopter pilot helping to fly people out on his little chopper, one by one, collecting them from roofs, taking them to safety.”

Westpac and St George Bank have warned customers that a network outage is affecting their access to online and mobile banking.

Westpac said it was “aware” customers were experiencing “intermittent issues” to their services, in a post on social media platform, X.

“Our teams are working to fix the issue,” the bank wrote.

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience and will continue to share updates here.”

Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles is expected to resign today following revelations she holds undisclosed shares in a manganese mine.

Fyles reportedly owns a small amount of shares in South32, the company at the helm of a controversial mine in the remote community of Groote Eylandt.

The ABC has reported she will step down amid mounting pressure over her leadership.

Earlier this year, she said the government would not investigate air pollution levels or health impacts after community members raised concerns over potential manganese dust leaks.

The revelation of her shares, worth just over $2000, has sparked calls from opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro for her resignation alongside rumours of a leadership change from inside NT Labor.

Finocchiaro said Fyles actions represented a “profound betrayal of public trust”.

“If these reports of more secret shares are true, she has knowingly misled Territorians again and must go,” Finocchiaro said.

Fyles has faced growing pressure in the last few months, and the GEMCO revelations are the latest in a string of shares scandals.

Last month, Fyles was forced to divest shares in Woodside, after media and federal politicians called into question potential conflicts of interest, in particular the government’s large-scale expansion of the NT gas industry.

Last week Fyles was referred to the NT’s Independent Commissioner Against Corruption by an independent backbencher over potential conflicts of interest.

Fyles has been out of Darwin at her father-in-law’s funeral since the weekend but is set to hold a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

If she resigns, Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison is tipped to be her replacement going into next year’s territory election.