Latest news with #CentralLandCouncil
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Councils accuse territory government of overt racism
A territory government has been accused of overt racism and promoting policies that harm Indigenous people. Aboriginal land councils have taken aim at the Northern Territory government, saying it has failed to work with them to reduce crime and boost economic development. But NT Aboriginal Affairs Minister Steve Edgington has refuted the claims, saying the government was working towards empowering Indigenous communities. After a two-day meeting in Darwin, the four NT land councils have urged the Country Liberal Party government to stop ignoring them and come to the table to address key issues. They include growing Indigenous incarceration rates and improved economic opportunities to benefit Aboriginal communities. Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan told reporters outside the NT parliament on Thursday there was overt racism in government policies. "Let me be very honest - there is, no buts about it," he said. "Unfortunately, it's still happening. We want to eliminate that, we want a genuine partnership ... at the moment there's none." He said Aboriginal people wanted to be part of the territory's economic development but it was "appalling" government ministers were failing to work with or listen to the land councils to promote that. Since coming to power on an anti-crime platform in 2024, the government has toughened bail laws and provided hundreds of new prison beds as more Aboriginal youths are locked up. It has also lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 years. Mr Ryan said the law and order funding would be better spent on providing programs to keep Aboriginal youths out of jail. He said the land councils were also united in wanting to work with the NT police commissioner to address racism within the force. Central Land Council deputy chair Barbara Shaw said racism against Aboriginal people began when the ships arrived in 1788 "but we're still standing here today". "If the government would only listen to us and work with us in genuine partnership in tackling crime in the Northern Territory, we wouldn't be stacking and racking in our prisons," she said. Ms Shaw said the government should listen to the elders to take children back onto Country to be with family and keep them out of jail. Mr Edgington said the government was working with the four land councils and other Indigenous bodies on Closing the Gap initiatives. "We are also working in partnership with Aboriginal people to empower communities that want a greater say," he said. Mr Edgington said the NT and federal governments were making major investments in remote communities including building new homes and boosting health and other critical services. However, an Aboriginal justice agency has called for federal funding for remote policing and other justice operations to be suspended until the NT government changes its hardline approach to crime. North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency acting CEO Anthony Beven said the Commonwealth should put conditions on the table to say "we shouldn't be locking young kids up". NT Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said Mr Beven's funding suspension demand was "utterly absurd". A territory government has been accused of overt racism and promoting policies that harm Indigenous people. Aboriginal land councils have taken aim at the Northern Territory government, saying it has failed to work with them to reduce crime and boost economic development. But NT Aboriginal Affairs Minister Steve Edgington has refuted the claims, saying the government was working towards empowering Indigenous communities. After a two-day meeting in Darwin, the four NT land councils have urged the Country Liberal Party government to stop ignoring them and come to the table to address key issues. They include growing Indigenous incarceration rates and improved economic opportunities to benefit Aboriginal communities. Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan told reporters outside the NT parliament on Thursday there was overt racism in government policies. "Let me be very honest - there is, no buts about it," he said. "Unfortunately, it's still happening. We want to eliminate that, we want a genuine partnership ... at the moment there's none." He said Aboriginal people wanted to be part of the territory's economic development but it was "appalling" government ministers were failing to work with or listen to the land councils to promote that. Since coming to power on an anti-crime platform in 2024, the government has toughened bail laws and provided hundreds of new prison beds as more Aboriginal youths are locked up. It has also lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 years. Mr Ryan said the law and order funding would be better spent on providing programs to keep Aboriginal youths out of jail. He said the land councils were also united in wanting to work with the NT police commissioner to address racism within the force. Central Land Council deputy chair Barbara Shaw said racism against Aboriginal people began when the ships arrived in 1788 "but we're still standing here today". "If the government would only listen to us and work with us in genuine partnership in tackling crime in the Northern Territory, we wouldn't be stacking and racking in our prisons," she said. Ms Shaw said the government should listen to the elders to take children back onto Country to be with family and keep them out of jail. Mr Edgington said the government was working with the four land councils and other Indigenous bodies on Closing the Gap initiatives. "We are also working in partnership with Aboriginal people to empower communities that want a greater say," he said. Mr Edgington said the NT and federal governments were making major investments in remote communities including building new homes and boosting health and other critical services. However, an Aboriginal justice agency has called for federal funding for remote policing and other justice operations to be suspended until the NT government changes its hardline approach to crime. North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency acting CEO Anthony Beven said the Commonwealth should put conditions on the table to say "we shouldn't be locking young kids up". NT Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said Mr Beven's funding suspension demand was "utterly absurd". A territory government has been accused of overt racism and promoting policies that harm Indigenous people. Aboriginal land councils have taken aim at the Northern Territory government, saying it has failed to work with them to reduce crime and boost economic development. But NT Aboriginal Affairs Minister Steve Edgington has refuted the claims, saying the government was working towards empowering Indigenous communities. After a two-day meeting in Darwin, the four NT land councils have urged the Country Liberal Party government to stop ignoring them and come to the table to address key issues. They include growing Indigenous incarceration rates and improved economic opportunities to benefit Aboriginal communities. Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan told reporters outside the NT parliament on Thursday there was overt racism in government policies. "Let me be very honest - there is, no buts about it," he said. "Unfortunately, it's still happening. We want to eliminate that, we want a genuine partnership ... at the moment there's none." He said Aboriginal people wanted to be part of the territory's economic development but it was "appalling" government ministers were failing to work with or listen to the land councils to promote that. Since coming to power on an anti-crime platform in 2024, the government has toughened bail laws and provided hundreds of new prison beds as more Aboriginal youths are locked up. It has also lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 years. Mr Ryan said the law and order funding would be better spent on providing programs to keep Aboriginal youths out of jail. He said the land councils were also united in wanting to work with the NT police commissioner to address racism within the force. Central Land Council deputy chair Barbara Shaw said racism against Aboriginal people began when the ships arrived in 1788 "but we're still standing here today". "If the government would only listen to us and work with us in genuine partnership in tackling crime in the Northern Territory, we wouldn't be stacking and racking in our prisons," she said. Ms Shaw said the government should listen to the elders to take children back onto Country to be with family and keep them out of jail. Mr Edgington said the government was working with the four land councils and other Indigenous bodies on Closing the Gap initiatives. "We are also working in partnership with Aboriginal people to empower communities that want a greater say," he said. Mr Edgington said the NT and federal governments were making major investments in remote communities including building new homes and boosting health and other critical services. However, an Aboriginal justice agency has called for federal funding for remote policing and other justice operations to be suspended until the NT government changes its hardline approach to crime. North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency acting CEO Anthony Beven said the Commonwealth should put conditions on the table to say "we shouldn't be locking young kids up". NT Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said Mr Beven's funding suspension demand was "utterly absurd". A territory government has been accused of overt racism and promoting policies that harm Indigenous people. Aboriginal land councils have taken aim at the Northern Territory government, saying it has failed to work with them to reduce crime and boost economic development. But NT Aboriginal Affairs Minister Steve Edgington has refuted the claims, saying the government was working towards empowering Indigenous communities. After a two-day meeting in Darwin, the four NT land councils have urged the Country Liberal Party government to stop ignoring them and come to the table to address key issues. They include growing Indigenous incarceration rates and improved economic opportunities to benefit Aboriginal communities. Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan told reporters outside the NT parliament on Thursday there was overt racism in government policies. "Let me be very honest - there is, no buts about it," he said. "Unfortunately, it's still happening. We want to eliminate that, we want a genuine partnership ... at the moment there's none." He said Aboriginal people wanted to be part of the territory's economic development but it was "appalling" government ministers were failing to work with or listen to the land councils to promote that. Since coming to power on an anti-crime platform in 2024, the government has toughened bail laws and provided hundreds of new prison beds as more Aboriginal youths are locked up. It has also lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 years. Mr Ryan said the law and order funding would be better spent on providing programs to keep Aboriginal youths out of jail. He said the land councils were also united in wanting to work with the NT police commissioner to address racism within the force. Central Land Council deputy chair Barbara Shaw said racism against Aboriginal people began when the ships arrived in 1788 "but we're still standing here today". "If the government would only listen to us and work with us in genuine partnership in tackling crime in the Northern Territory, we wouldn't be stacking and racking in our prisons," she said. Ms Shaw said the government should listen to the elders to take children back onto Country to be with family and keep them out of jail. Mr Edgington said the government was working with the four land councils and other Indigenous bodies on Closing the Gap initiatives. "We are also working in partnership with Aboriginal people to empower communities that want a greater say," he said. Mr Edgington said the NT and federal governments were making major investments in remote communities including building new homes and boosting health and other critical services. However, an Aboriginal justice agency has called for federal funding for remote policing and other justice operations to be suspended until the NT government changes its hardline approach to crime. North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency acting CEO Anthony Beven said the Commonwealth should put conditions on the table to say "we shouldn't be locking young kids up". NT Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said Mr Beven's funding suspension demand was "utterly absurd".
West Australian
21-06-2025
- West Australian
Shadows falling across the land
From the air, on our recent direct charter flight from Perth to Uluru, I am reliving journeys remembered on the land below. We break free of the sprawling boxes that are the Perth suburbs, follow Great Eastern Highway for a while, and then track north, over the salt lake systems around Bullfinch, near Southern Cross. And in a land journey not so long ago and not so far from here, I watched peregrine falcon chicks, sitting in a row in a cave in Baladjie Rock, as the mother came in and out to feed them. We fly on north of Kalgoorlie and just south of Lake Ballard, where British sculptor Antony Gormley installed the shimmering human figures of his sculpture Inside Australia. From the significant hump of Snake Hill, there are foot tracks between them, as visitors walk the salt lake and feel the space. My wife, sculptor Virginia Ward, is a friend of Antony's and worked with him in London, and at one stage there were maps spread out on our dining table as he looked for a suitable site. I have a personal, family-like connection to Lake Ballard. This is a good time to visit them, in winter. The captain has already told us the direct flight time is just one hour, 45 minutes, as we have a jet stream behind us. Uluru is so much closer to Perth than Broome is (which I still find amazing). The less-than-two-hours flight is in contrast to the road trips I've driven below. We are flying pretty much over Laverton, which is the start of the Great Central Road for me. First day, drive from Perth to Menzies or Kookynie; second day through Laverton and onto the GCR, to be camping the second night. The Central Land Council transit permit to travel the Great Central Road is for three days. I may be one of few people who have an 'I Love Laverton' sticker — but it's there on the back bumper of my old LandCruiser. From Laverton, the plane tracks pretty much along the Great Central Road. Tjukayirla Roadhouse, Warburton, Warakurna Roadhouse, Docker River and, before we know it, Uluru. It is largely due to the establishment of Warburton as a missionary settlement in 1933, as an outstation of the Mt Margaret Mission near Laverton, that the road is here. For a long time it was just a dusty bush supply track between Warburton and Laverton, but by the mid-1950s, it had become a pretty respectable, graded outback track. Things stepped up in 1958 when explorer-surveyor Len Beadell was sent to build a new road from Giles to Warburton as part of the Woomera rocket range project. The British government had created the Woomera Rocket Range in South Australia to test fire rockets across the remote spaces of WA, and access points to places like Giles were needed. I think the three-day drive between Laverton and Uluru is one of the easiest remote journeys for West Australians. Great Central Road is a big gravel but all-weather road. There is fuel, water, help and some sort of accommodation at intervals of about 300km. The road is being sealed but in 'parcels', with the stretches that are most expensive and difficult to maintain being done first. (So they aren't just starting one end and doing it bit by bit.) Forty kilometres east of Laverton was sealed in 2021 and the plan is to seal more near Cosmo Newbery in 2025. The 40km near Laverton was completed under an 'alliance contract' between WA Main Roads, CareyMC and Central Earthmoving Company, which together was called the Wongutha Way Alliance. 'Wongutha' means the broad group of local Aboriginal people that reside in the area, as the objective of the project was to maximise Aboriginal employment and business opportunities to help benefit local communities. Road design is in progress for the last 100km section between Warakurna and the border. Survey, design, environmental, geotechnical and heritage surveys are under way. The program is currently being reviewed to ensure completion of sealing by 2032. There are budgerigars in green-and-yellow flocks down there. One of the world's most popular pets, budgies are endemic to these deserts, but only in these natural colours. The big, dominant males always remind me of lions, with their big, proud, patterned heads. These vibrant parakeets are very social, flying in nomadic flocks, chattering away. They are superbly adapted for the arid and semi-arid regions of Australia, following rainfall and spinifex seed-setting. Budgerigar were first scientifically described by English botanist and zoologist George Shaw in 1805, and given its binomial name by ornithologist John Gould in 1840. In England, Gould had progressed from skilled taxidermist, handling species brought back by others, to renowned ornithologist. In 1837, after his second voyage on the ship HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin took his bird specimens to Gould for identification. Gould came to Australia himself in 1838, to study the birds here. The result of the trip were the seven groundbreaking volumes of his epic work The Birds Of Australia (1840-48). And just a fun fact, they have zygodactyl feet — two toes facing forward and two backwards, which helps them to balance, perch and waddle round the bloodwood trees. There are zebra finches meep-meeping in and out of bushes and gathering in flitty crowds round the edge of any water they find. The Great Victoria Desert is covered in spinifex — Australia's most prevalent grass. It is beautiful. This is largely ungrazed, unfenced land, and that is a rarity. We have flown over the Great Victoria Desert and Lake Throssell, named for George Throssell, the 13th premier of Western Australia, just as the desert itself was named by legendary explorer Ernest Giles in 1875 to honour Queen Victoria, the reigning monarch. We're heading well south of Great Central Road now, for the border. I'm following it all on with my phone in flight mode, as it uses GPS. We leave WA almost exactly over Surveyor Generals Corner, where our State joins South Australia and the NT. It was named to commemorate the three surveyor-generals who stood here on June 4, 1968, to inaugurate the monument which marks the junction of the three jurisdictions' boundaries. (They were Harold Camm from WA, H.A. Bailey from South Australia and P.J. Wells from the NT.) And then we are descending. Already. But my mind has already been down there, boots in the red dust. The first 800km from Perth to Kalgoorlie is on bitumen highways, then it's another 240km to Laverton on bitumen. Long sections of the Great Central Road are unsealed, corrugated and dusty, but well maintained. There is fuel every 250-300km on the Great Central Road — at Laverton, Cosmo Newbery, Tjukayirla Roadhouse, Warburton, Warakurna Roadhouse and Docker River. Distances east from Laverton are: Cosmo Newbery, 85km; Tjukayirla Roadhouse, 300km; Warburton, 560km; Warakurna Roadhouse, 786km; Docker River, 890km. Camping's easy and there's accommodation along the way. From the WA border to Uluru is about 240km. A permit is needed for three days on the Great Central Road. For the WA stretch, start at and click on 'Apply for a permit to access/travel through Aboriginal land'.
ABC News
19-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Fortune Agribusiness faces High Court appeal over Singleton Station water licence
The native title holders of a vast Central Australian cattle station say they will continue to challenge the Northern Territory's largest-ever water licence and won't back down until "a good decision" is made. The Mpwerempwer Aboriginal Corporation last week escalated its legal battle over a water licence at Singleton Station to the High Court, after the NT Court of Appeal rejected an earlier challenge in May. Mpwerempwer will argue the court made a series of errors in rejecting its case, including that native title holders did not receive the same procedural fairness as the licence holder, Fortune Agribusiness. Les Turner, chief executive of the Central Land Council, which is acting on behalf of Mpwerempwer, says native title holders believe the water licence is too large. "[It] threatens their water security and puts the risk to many groundwater dependent sacred sites," he said. 'Mpwerempwer considered there was serious and complex questions of law that need to be settled by the High Court." The High Court appeal is the latest development in a four-year legal stoush that has stalled Fortune Agribusiness's bid to transform a massive arid cattle station north of Alice Springs into one of Australia's biggest fruit and vegetable farms. Fortune was granted a licence to extract 40,000 megalitres of water a year, for free, by the NT government's Water Controller in 2021. That decision has drawn continued opposition from environment groups and some traditional owners, while others argue the project is a lifeline for a struggling region. Dawn Swan, a director of Mpwerempwer, said she lived "smack bang in the middle of Singleton Station" and had a strong attachment to the area. "We have to look after it," she said. "We're just going to keep battling on." Elder Ned Kelly said he was worried about the station and believed there was no other option but to "keep on fighting". In a statement, NT Water Minister Joshua Burgoyne dismissed the ABC's questions about whether continued backlash from native title holders signalled the need for stronger water protections, instead pointing to Singleton's continued court wins. Fortune Agribusiness has said its planned horticultural project could create 110 permanent and 1,350 seasonal jobs — although this number has been disputed — and could provide big opportunities for local shops and contractors. Lachy Manns, a Tennant Creek resident of 10 years and owner of a cattle transport company and hardware store, said the region was "doing it tough". "Tennant Creek needs all these big projects like SunCable and Singleton to boom," he said. "If all of it goes ahead, it's great for the town, it's a no-brainer." John Dickson, the owner of Outback Outfitters in Tennant Creek, said he was also "all for it", but hoped the produce grown at Singleton would stock local shelves instead of being sent overseas. "We have a mine that just opened up that's given the town a boost, and anything extra is good," he said. In a statement, Fortune Agribusiness chair Peter Wood acknowledged the importance of due process, and said the company remained "committed to full compliance" as it worked through further approvals. He said the government's "rigorous water planning" would ensure Singleton was developed sustainably and that the project would be a catalyst for further investment, new infrastructure and ongoing local employment in the region. Last year, the NT Supreme Court rejected an initial case brought by the Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC) and Mpwerempwer alleging the NT government had not followed its own Water Act when it approved the Singleton licence. Native title holders appealed the decision, but that was also rejected. Despite the court losses and frustrations, Mr Turner said native title holders would not back down until a decision "which protects Aboriginal people's rights in that area" was made. Alex Vaughan, policy officer at ALEC, said the Singleton water licence posed a "catastrophic" risk to the region. "Singleton is simply too big to be sustainable," he said. He said it was "outrageous" one of Australia's largest groundwater licences for agriculture had been granted in a region where temperatures regularly reach over 40 degrees. "This is a terrible project that resoundingly fails the pub test," he said.
ABC News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
NAAJA calls for 'emergency intervention' in NT justice system, after second death in custody
One of Australia's largest Aboriginal legal services is calling for an "emergency intervention" to "de-escalate" tensions in the Northern Territory's justice system, following two deaths of Aboriginal men in police custody in less than a fortnight. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name of an Indigenous person who has died, used with the permission of their family. The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) is the latest in a growing list of organisations urging the federal government to "step in" in the wake of the death of Kumanjayi White in Alice Springs. The 24-year-old Warlpiri man, who lived with disabilities, died late last month after being restrained by police on the floor of a Coles supermarket. His death has sparked vigils and rallies across Australia. The NT Police Force (NTPF) has rejected requests from multiple bodies, including from the NT's two largest land councils and Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy, to hand the investigation to an independent body. The Central Land Council (CLC) has urged the federal government to withhold its funding to the NT government until it establishes an "independent police conduct commission". On Saturday, less than a fortnight after Mr White's death, a senior elder from Wadeye died in the custody of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) at Royal Darwin Hospital. The AFP said the man suffered a "sudden and serious medical episode" upon arriving at the hospital, while the NTPF said his cause of death remained "undetermined pending a post-mortem". NAAJA acting chief executive Anthony Beven said the NT government could not afford to wait for an investigation into Mr White's death to respond. He said NAAJA was urging the government to hold a "forum" with First Nations leaders and both Commonwealth and NT authorities to address the territory's soaring incarceration rate. "The only way we expect that there will be change is if we have a forum where all the parties come together and we have an emergency intervention into what's happening in the territory," he said. Since winning government in the NT in August, the Country Liberal Party (CLP) has enacted a series of justice reforms. Those reforms have collectively reduced the circumstances under which people can be granted bail and allowed police to make arrests for public intoxication. Both remand prisoner and total prisoner numbers have surged dramatically since the CLP took office, after rising steadily over previous years. Government data shows last week the proportion of NT prisoners on remand reached 49.7 per cent, meaning half of all inmates are yet to be convicted or sentenced in court. Mr Beven said the government's bail reforms had "watered down" the presumption of innocence, making First Nations people "fearful" of police officers and the justice system. "They're seeing their family — their sons, their daughters, their husbands, their wives — being locked up and held on remand for long periods of time," he said. In response to Kumanjayi White's death, the chairs of both the CLC and the Northern Land Council (NLC) have released statements describing a deteriorating relationship between Aboriginal Territorians, the government and law enforcement. CLC chair Warren Williams said the Aboriginal communities the council represented "don't trust this government and its police force to keep us safe". In a statement, NLC chair Matthew Ryan said Aboriginal people "fear police instead of trusting they will protect and serve their communities". Mr Beven said NAAJA wanted to "de-escalate" the distrust through its proposed forum. "There's so many good police officers in the territory who are doing wonderful things to keep our community safe, and they're an essential part of the territory," he said. In a statement, an NT government spokesperson said it would "continue to back our police and are proud to see officers serving and protecting their own communities". "We respect the active police and coronial investigations," the spokesperson said. "Following extensive consultation, we will continue progressing justice reforms that put the rights of victims ahead of offenders."
The Advertiser
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
'Shame on you': united call for death-in-custody action
The sound of a passing tram is all that breaks the silence as hundreds of people gather outside parliament, standing together in unity to honour a young Aboriginal man who died in police custody. Relatives, friends and allies shut down Melbourne's Spring Street in a powerful vigil on Friday, part of a national week of action demanding justice for 24-year-old Kumanjayi White and an end to Indigenous deaths in custody. Mr White, who had a mental disability, died on May 27 shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers inside a supermarket in Alice Springs. Police allege the 24-year-old, originally from the outback community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him in the confectionery aisle. Speaking at the rally on Friday, Mr White's grandfather, Warlpiri Elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, said his grandson was "killed for no good reason". "What have we done to you? We are supposed to be working together in harmony but (police) are taking away our lives," he said. "That is not good. (He) was only getting a packet of lollies. Shame on you. "He was not a criminal. He was a quiet, young man." The rally was also attended by Krautungalung Elder Uncle Robbie Thorpe, senator Lidia Thorpe and Aunty Donna Kerr, the mother of Joshua Kerr. Ms Kerr spoke of the urgent need for justice, recalling how her son, an Indigenous man, was found unconscious in his prison cell and later died in August 2022. About 300 people attended the vigil, holding signs that read "Who is the real thief?" and "Genocide in progress". Senator Thorpe vowed to support the family's call for an independent investigation into police. "We are here to call for the footage that was taken of that murder in the supermarket," she told the large crowd. "The family want to see the footage ... so they can see what really happened." NT Police on Friday confirmed officers have not been stood down. The force and NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro have strongly rejected calls for an external investigation, saying police are the right authority to carry it out, coupled with a coronial inquiry. Mr White's family expressed anger over the rejection of calls for an independent investigation, backing the Central Land Council's demand for Canberra to withhold funding from the NT government until it agrees to establish an independent body to examine police misconduct. NT Police has said its investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy has said an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of all charges over the death in 2022. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Rallies to protest Mr White's death in custody and urge an independent inquiry were planned for Melbourne, Alice Springs and Cairns on Friday and Sydney, Brisbane, Wollongong and Adelaide on Saturday. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 The sound of a passing tram is all that breaks the silence as hundreds of people gather outside parliament, standing together in unity to honour a young Aboriginal man who died in police custody. Relatives, friends and allies shut down Melbourne's Spring Street in a powerful vigil on Friday, part of a national week of action demanding justice for 24-year-old Kumanjayi White and an end to Indigenous deaths in custody. Mr White, who had a mental disability, died on May 27 shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers inside a supermarket in Alice Springs. Police allege the 24-year-old, originally from the outback community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him in the confectionery aisle. Speaking at the rally on Friday, Mr White's grandfather, Warlpiri Elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, said his grandson was "killed for no good reason". "What have we done to you? We are supposed to be working together in harmony but (police) are taking away our lives," he said. "That is not good. (He) was only getting a packet of lollies. Shame on you. "He was not a criminal. He was a quiet, young man." The rally was also attended by Krautungalung Elder Uncle Robbie Thorpe, senator Lidia Thorpe and Aunty Donna Kerr, the mother of Joshua Kerr. Ms Kerr spoke of the urgent need for justice, recalling how her son, an Indigenous man, was found unconscious in his prison cell and later died in August 2022. About 300 people attended the vigil, holding signs that read "Who is the real thief?" and "Genocide in progress". Senator Thorpe vowed to support the family's call for an independent investigation into police. "We are here to call for the footage that was taken of that murder in the supermarket," she told the large crowd. "The family want to see the footage ... so they can see what really happened." NT Police on Friday confirmed officers have not been stood down. The force and NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro have strongly rejected calls for an external investigation, saying police are the right authority to carry it out, coupled with a coronial inquiry. Mr White's family expressed anger over the rejection of calls for an independent investigation, backing the Central Land Council's demand for Canberra to withhold funding from the NT government until it agrees to establish an independent body to examine police misconduct. NT Police has said its investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy has said an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of all charges over the death in 2022. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Rallies to protest Mr White's death in custody and urge an independent inquiry were planned for Melbourne, Alice Springs and Cairns on Friday and Sydney, Brisbane, Wollongong and Adelaide on Saturday. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 The sound of a passing tram is all that breaks the silence as hundreds of people gather outside parliament, standing together in unity to honour a young Aboriginal man who died in police custody. Relatives, friends and allies shut down Melbourne's Spring Street in a powerful vigil on Friday, part of a national week of action demanding justice for 24-year-old Kumanjayi White and an end to Indigenous deaths in custody. Mr White, who had a mental disability, died on May 27 shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers inside a supermarket in Alice Springs. Police allege the 24-year-old, originally from the outback community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him in the confectionery aisle. Speaking at the rally on Friday, Mr White's grandfather, Warlpiri Elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, said his grandson was "killed for no good reason". "What have we done to you? We are supposed to be working together in harmony but (police) are taking away our lives," he said. "That is not good. (He) was only getting a packet of lollies. Shame on you. "He was not a criminal. He was a quiet, young man." The rally was also attended by Krautungalung Elder Uncle Robbie Thorpe, senator Lidia Thorpe and Aunty Donna Kerr, the mother of Joshua Kerr. Ms Kerr spoke of the urgent need for justice, recalling how her son, an Indigenous man, was found unconscious in his prison cell and later died in August 2022. About 300 people attended the vigil, holding signs that read "Who is the real thief?" and "Genocide in progress". Senator Thorpe vowed to support the family's call for an independent investigation into police. "We are here to call for the footage that was taken of that murder in the supermarket," she told the large crowd. "The family want to see the footage ... so they can see what really happened." NT Police on Friday confirmed officers have not been stood down. The force and NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro have strongly rejected calls for an external investigation, saying police are the right authority to carry it out, coupled with a coronial inquiry. Mr White's family expressed anger over the rejection of calls for an independent investigation, backing the Central Land Council's demand for Canberra to withhold funding from the NT government until it agrees to establish an independent body to examine police misconduct. NT Police has said its investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy has said an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of all charges over the death in 2022. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Rallies to protest Mr White's death in custody and urge an independent inquiry were planned for Melbourne, Alice Springs and Cairns on Friday and Sydney, Brisbane, Wollongong and Adelaide on Saturday. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 The sound of a passing tram is all that breaks the silence as hundreds of people gather outside parliament, standing together in unity to honour a young Aboriginal man who died in police custody. Relatives, friends and allies shut down Melbourne's Spring Street in a powerful vigil on Friday, part of a national week of action demanding justice for 24-year-old Kumanjayi White and an end to Indigenous deaths in custody. Mr White, who had a mental disability, died on May 27 shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers inside a supermarket in Alice Springs. Police allege the 24-year-old, originally from the outback community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him in the confectionery aisle. Speaking at the rally on Friday, Mr White's grandfather, Warlpiri Elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, said his grandson was "killed for no good reason". "What have we done to you? We are supposed to be working together in harmony but (police) are taking away our lives," he said. "That is not good. (He) was only getting a packet of lollies. Shame on you. "He was not a criminal. He was a quiet, young man." The rally was also attended by Krautungalung Elder Uncle Robbie Thorpe, senator Lidia Thorpe and Aunty Donna Kerr, the mother of Joshua Kerr. Ms Kerr spoke of the urgent need for justice, recalling how her son, an Indigenous man, was found unconscious in his prison cell and later died in August 2022. About 300 people attended the vigil, holding signs that read "Who is the real thief?" and "Genocide in progress". Senator Thorpe vowed to support the family's call for an independent investigation into police. "We are here to call for the footage that was taken of that murder in the supermarket," she told the large crowd. "The family want to see the footage ... so they can see what really happened." NT Police on Friday confirmed officers have not been stood down. The force and NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro have strongly rejected calls for an external investigation, saying police are the right authority to carry it out, coupled with a coronial inquiry. Mr White's family expressed anger over the rejection of calls for an independent investigation, backing the Central Land Council's demand for Canberra to withhold funding from the NT government until it agrees to establish an independent body to examine police misconduct. NT Police has said its investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy has said an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of all charges over the death in 2022. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Rallies to protest Mr White's death in custody and urge an independent inquiry were planned for Melbourne, Alice Springs and Cairns on Friday and Sydney, Brisbane, Wollongong and Adelaide on Saturday. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
