The NT’s ‘cocaine and sex’ imbroglio: the scandal taking crocodiles off the front page
The Northern Territory government’s “cocaine sex scandal” surrounding a Labor member and staffer has so far revealed no conclusive evidence of cocaine use, or even sex, but after appearing every day for more than a week on the front page of the NT News it has put pressure on the chief minister, Michael Gunner.
It is an archetypal Territory politics story, with echoes of the 2016 scandal when Country Liberal party minister and devout Christian Nathan
Barrett was forced to resign after it was reported he sent a video of himself masturbating in his parliamentary bathroom, to a woman who was not his wife.
This year’s imbroglio has so far resulted in one Labor member being expelled from the party caucus and cost a staffer his job, but the questions that remain unanswered have made it bigger than the traditional three Cs of the NT news cycle (crocs, cyclones and crime) combined.
The story first saw the light of day on a Facebook page called the Mango Inquirer – run by Shannon Joyce, a Mustang-driving disability support worker and wedding photographer – which typically hosts grainy CCTV footage of alleged criminal activity.
On 6 February it published claims from a sex worker that an unidentified member of the Legislative Assembly and a Labor staffer had taken part in a cocaine-fuelled sex party on Territory election night in August.
The sex worker has subsequently told the media she was “too messed up” on the night in question to recall who was involved. However, she did confirm a relationship with an MLA.
The following week the Sunday Territorian’s Bushranger gossip column picked up the story, spruiking a “cocaine sex scandal” involving a “Territory political party member”.
That led the CLP leader, Lia Finocchiaro, to enter the fray, calling on Gunner to deal with “serious allegations against members of his party”, but in the three days of parliamentary sittings she failed to detail what the allegations were, or to name anyone.
Gunner dismissed the claims as internet gossip, but two mornings later the sex worker went on ABC Darwin and commercial talkback radio. Again she did not name the MLA, but said he was a “sweet man” who was “considerate and gentle”.
Late that night Mark Turner, a married former police officer who was elected for the first time in August (for the same seat as Barrett), revealed himself as the MLA in question.
Turner took to the floor of parliament to issue a statement saying he had an intimate “friendship” with the woman, but denied he had ever taken drugs.
“I accept that there were aspects of our friendship in the past that were not appropriate, because they were too intimate,” he said, but the word “sex” never passed his lips.
The next day Turner was booted from caucus after the sex worker released text messages to the NT Independent showing that he had tried to persuade her to recant her story and issue a statement he had written for her.
When asked about the cocaine use by the staffer, the sex worker did not give a direct answer. No evidence of drug use by either man has been produced.
The focus now is on what Gunner knew, and when. The Independent MLA and former CLP deputy chief minister Robyn Lambley, as well as the CLP, have called for him to resign.
The Police Special References Unit is investigating alleged cocaine use on what is colloquially known as the “fifth floor” – the level in parliament where government members officers are.
Mark Turner and the staffer did not respond to a request for comment.