NT: Bailiff seizes Northern Land Council vehicles

AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2000
NT: Bailiff seizes Northern Land Council vehicles

DARWIN, Feb 10 AAP - The Northern Territory bailiff today seized at least 15 vehicles
belonging to the Northern Land Council (NLC) after it refused to pay out hundreds of thousands
of dollars in an unfair dismissal case.

Bailiffs arrived at the NLC's head office in Darwin this morning with a warrant from
the Supreme Court and stuck stickers on at least 13 four-wheel drives and two station
wagons.

The NLC was given until mid-morning to pay former employee Peter Hansen, who worked
as a senior adviser, damages he won in an unfair dismissal case last year.

The Supreme Court ordered that Mr Hansen be paid nearly $300,000, after he was sacked
in 1992 during a six month probationary period.

The NLC was given until mid-morning to pay the damages and a spokeswoman said the warrant
was a surprise.

"This is a bolt from the blue for us," she said.

Earlier, Mr Hansen told local ABC radio he just wanted to pay his lawyers.

In the unfair dismissal case, Mr Hansen had alleged he had been sacked because he had
called for an auditor to examine the NLC's accounting procedure ahead of a federal election.

The NLC's then-director Mick Dodson claimed he had sacked Mr Hansen because he had
undermined him in the media and during talks with the federal government.

AAP cm/bd/wjf/bwl

KEYWORD: HANSEN

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