The NT Government has halved the allocated time for scrutiny of its budget.

The Opposition and some independents are joining together to boycott estimates hearings, with some labelling it as a “tawdry stunt” that undermines the Westminster system of government.

The Government's schedule for the 30 hours of estimates hearings (from a previous 60 hours) effectively cuts the time allocated to questioning of senior government ministers, including Treasurer Nicole Manison and Chief Minister Michael Gunner.

The Government says it will accept written questions from the public instead.

“If they refuse to participate in the estimates process, we'll open it up to Territorians: everyday mums and dads, territory businesses, community stakeholders, they can email government and ask the questions that they'd like to see asked in estimates,” leader of government business Natasha Fyles said.

Former Northern Territory Labor MLA Ken Parish said; “It's a fairly tawdry stunt in my view”.

“They should simply do the right thing without delay and allow 60 hours or two weeks for budget estimates committee hearings, nothing less than that is acceptable,” he said.

“You need full-time members of Parliament whose job is to scrutinise the Government's activities, that's what Parliament is there for.

“In my view what Mr Gunner and his government are doing is a significant undermining of the basic principles of Westminster responsible government, it's completely unacceptable.”

Mr Parish also called for federal intervention to allow proper scrutiny of the record $6.7 billion budget.

“My view is that rather than boycotting the estimates process, what the Opposition and independents should be doing is actively petitioning Prime Minister [Malcolm] Turnbull and the Federal Treasurer [Scott] Morrison and urging them to intervene and force the Gunner Government to do the right thing and be accountable to the Parliament and the people,” he said.

“If they want to simply not be laughed at when they use the word ‘accountability’ or ‘transparency’ that is the minimum basic required standard, anything else they say is just obfuscation.”