In the Northern Territory, costs in summary criminal proceedings are to be approached as in civil matters: costs normally follow the event, and the fact that a charge was properly brought by police is only one factor among others, not the determinative consideration. The Queensland approach treating bona fide police prosecution as the primary factor against a costs award does not apply in the NT. The question whether costs may be awarded in relation to withdrawn informations (as distinct from dismissed complaints) remains open.
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