Latest news with #Coroner'sAct
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Northern Territory Chief Minister lashes out, exploring changes after cost of inquest into Kumanjayi Walker's death blows out to at least $7.4 million
The Northern Territory government is considering changes to the Coroner's Act following the 'extraordinary' blowout in the cost of the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker. Mr Walker was shot dead by former police constable Zachary Rolfe in the remote Indigenous community of Yuendumu in November 2019. In March 2022 Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of Mr Walker's murder. Coroner Elisabeth Armitage began her inquiry into Mr Walker's death in September 2022. The inquest was supposed to run for three months, but it would be almost three years before Ms Armitage delivered her final report. Last week, Sky News reported the cost to two government departments for the inquest had exceeded $7.4 million. The Department of Attorney General and Justice spent more than $1.9 million on the inquiry, while the bill for the Northern Territory Police was almost $5.5 million. The data provided to the NT Budget Estimates Committee showed the cost of the inquest into the deaths of four Aboriginal women killed in domestic violence incidents was $497,640, while the average cost for 283 inquests in 2024/45 was just $6,120. Government sources have told Sky News the total cost of the Walker inquiry will likely exceed $11 million once the bill for the Northern Territory Health Department and other associated costs are included. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said the length and cost of the inquest was unacceptable. "It's an extraordinary amount of money and it's important that Territorians understand what these kinds of activities cost,' she said. 'The coronial process is obviously a very important process but when a usual coronial inquest costs six-thousand dollars and one as complicated as the four domestic violence women costing half a million, you can see how this one has completely blown out." Speaking to host Katie Woolf on Mix FM, Mrs Finocchiaro said the government was considering changes to the Coroner's Act to limit the cost of future inquiries. 'I think that's something the Attorney General is looking at as part of our broader justice reform package,' she said. 'It's really important that our courts are working well and all of our statutory bodies that do this sort of work are working well.' She said there needed to be accountability around how taxpayers' money was spent, saying 'I don't think coronials should cost this much, ever'. "You can see how as a government we are really concerned about how long the coroner is taking to do these inquests and the amount of money she is spending doing it, because at the end of the day, it's not her money, it's not my money, it's your listeners' money Katie and we have to making sure we're spending that on advancing the Territory,' she said. Ms Armitage made 33 recommendations in her final report, including 17 that relate to the NT Police. Mrs Finocchiaro said the government was considering the report but is yet to commit to the implementation of any of the recommendations.
Perth Now
24-04-2025
- Perth Now
Findings loom on Indigenous teen fatally shot by police
A coroner will return to the outback to hand down her findings into the death of an Indigenous teenager shot by a police officer during a botched arrest. Warlpiri-Luritja man Kumanjayi Walker died after being shot three times at close range by then-constable Zachary Rolfe during a botched arrest at a home in the Northern Territory community of Yuendumu in November 2019. In March 2022, an NT Supreme Court jury acquitted Mr Rolfe of murdering the 19-year-old. NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage in November closed her long-running inquest to consider more than 5000 pages of transcripts and 1990 pages of written submissions. An NT courts spokesperson said on Thursday that Judge Armitage would deliver her findings on June 10. Judge Armitage accepted an invitation from the Parumpurru Committee of Yuendumu to deliver her findings in the remote town where she heard some of the evidence. Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer previously told the inquest that Mr Rolfe's character should be considered as a direct cause of death. "Mr Rolfe was a man whose ego was wrapped up in his use of force, and who took pride in and derived a sense of worth from expressing his dominance over others," she said. "They were generally Aboriginal men and he expressed that dominance with the use of force." Counsel for Northern Territory Police previously told Judge Armitage "it is absolutely undeniable that Mr Rolfe is a racist" based on his derogatory text messages about Indigenous people. Mr Rolfe's solicitor Luke Officer told the coroner racism could not be considered under the Coroner's Act, which only permits her to investigate the cause of death. "There's no need to inquire into whether racism played a part ... there is no direct evidence of that, it has no relevance to cause of death," Mr Officer said. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
CBC
08-04-2025
- CBC
Coroner's inquest called into 2017 death of Guelph man at Maplehurst Correctional Complex
A coroner's inquest has been called into the 2017 death of a Guelph man at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton. Curtis McGowan, 32, was found unresponsive in his cell at Maplehurst on Oct. 6, 2017 of a suspected drug overdose. A toxicology report confirmed he had taken fentanyl. In 2018, McGowan's sister Amber McPherson told CBC News that in the days before his death, McGowan had written her a letter asking for help. McPherson said the family questioned how McGowan got drugs while in custody. An inquest is mandatory under the Coroner's Act. An exact date and venue for the inquest has not yet been released. The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding McGowan's death and the jury can make recommendations about how to prevent similar deaths in the future.
