'Darwin is a small place': NT deputy chief defends data centre disclosure

NT Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley defends decision to not publicly disclose potential conflict of interest In short: Northern Territory Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley says he has followed parliamentary disclosure rules "to a T" while defending a decision to spruik a $40 billion data centre project put forward by a company that employs his sister-in-law. Speaking with ABC Radio Darwin this morning, Mr Maley said Bethany Maley was at the press announcement for the project and suggested reporters were at fault for not raising their connection at the time. What's next? Parliamentary rules did not require Mr Maley to publicly disclose his relationship with Beetaloo Energy's "strategic engagement" advisor but he says he will "exclude myself from any potential conflict of interest" in future. The Northern Territory's deputy chief minister has defended failing to publicly disclose a potential conflict of interest with a close family member, saying "the rules are what they are" and he has followed them "to a T". The ABC reported yesterday that Gerard Maley had appeared at a press conference spruiking a deal with Beetaloo Energy to build a $40 billion data centre outside Darwin, without revealing his sister-in-law, Bethany Maley, worked for the firm in a "strategic engagement" role. The "do not deal" agreement announced in July gives Beetaloo Digital exclusive rights over the land for a year, granting the company time to secure investors and work out whether the hyperscale data centre project is viable. Mr Maley was not required to disclose the potential conflict on his public register of interests and told ABC Radio Darwin this morning he had informed Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, despite not believing any conflict existed. "Darwin is a small place, there's three generations of Maleys here in the NT, you don't just pop out of a genie bottle when you become a politician and go back in when you finish that," he said. "This 'do not deal' is a block of land that Minister Burgoyne did, there's a one-year deal on it so I don't think there's a conflict of interest and in any case, I've disclosed all the rules as I'm meant to do." Mr Maley said Ms Maley was there "handing out press packs" at the announcement, so their connection was out in the open, and he blamed reporters for not raising this at the time. "I think it's a bit rich for people to say you haven't declared it publicly," he said. "She was there, your reporters were there, if they wanted to cry wolf they should have back then, but she was there and what more can you do? "All the reporters know her, she's been around, she's an expert in the field, what more can you do in those sort of situations?" Outside of the Beetaloo project, corporate records show that Mr Maley and Ms Maley have business ties, with both listed as shareholders for company Ammarula Pty Ltd, along with Ms Maley's husband — Gerard Maley's brother — Peter Maley. Mr Maley said the decision to enter the "do not deal" agreement was made by Lands Minister Joshua Burgoyne and he was only there "to promote mines and energy in the NT". "We know that mines and energy pay for things in the NT, they even pay for the ABC, the taxpayer funded [services], they pay for the education system, they pay for the police," he said. "We need to make sure that we promote mining and gas in the NT so we can stand alone here in the NT and have a better lifestyle." Mr Maley said he had no involvement in Mr Burgoyne's decision and would continue to "follow the rules" where "I believe there's a conflict or a perceived conflict" in any cabinet discussions going forward. "I'm not going to talk about cabinet and how cabinet works, that's a confidential process, but what I can say is I can assure Territorians that I will follow the rules, I will follow the guidelines and I will always act in the best interests of the NT," he said. "I'll exclude myself from any potential conflict of interest in relation to anything in relation to the NT because I think the Territory's worth fighting for and that's what I'm here to do." 'Serious questions' Labor Opposition MLA Dheran Young said constituents in his electorate of Daly, where the data centre would be built if the plans come to fruition, will have concerns about a lack of transparency. "Many Territorians, and particularly people in the rural area, will have questions about this," he said. "We've seen this agreement signed with Beetaloo Energy, it's now been revealed [Mr Maley] has a family member that works for Beetaloo Energy. "So I think it will have some serious questions, because there has been no consultation to date from the CLP [Country Liberal Party] government about this hyperscale AI data centre." Independent MLA Justine Davis said Mr Maley "absolutely needs to be transparent about what conversations are happening" between himself and Beetaloo Digital. "Because trust in government is all about actually trusting that they are acting in your interest," she said. "It's just not good enough to have someone who's the deputy chief minister having a close relative in a senior role in a company that is going to be benefiting from the deals that this government's signing off on." Data centre 'a great opportunity' Environment Centre NT acting director Bree Ahrens said her organisation had been "shocked" and "really disappointed" by the revelation. "It's not because there is any evidence that Minister Maley has failed to make the required disclosures but it's a broader issue of public trust and public confidence in the government," she said. But Master Builders NT chief executive Sallyann Innes said her industry wanted and needed the work that would come from the construction of data centres. "We need a long-term transparent pipeline of work, policies that encourage business investment, and this is a great opportunity," she said. "But also it helps with our workforce development and maintaining that skilled workforce here in the NT."