Latest news with #NedHargraves
ABC News
08-07-2025
- ABC News
Kumanjayi Walker was killed in Yuendumu nearly six years ago. His family is still fighting for change
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the names and images of Indigenous people who have died, used with the permission of their families. "Ceasefire." It is a word that has reverberated in the remote town of Yuendumu, after a police officer fatally shot a 19-year-old teenager. The same agonising call came again on Tuesday from Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, a day after the NT coroner delivered her findings into the teenager's death. Speaking in Warlpiri and then English, Mr Hargraves told reporters gathered in Yuendumu on Tuesday that "we need to let the world know what has been happening to us". Nineteen-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man Kumanjayi Walker died after being shot three times by then-constable Zachary Rolfe in a dark house, the day of a family funeral — a death the NT coroner on Monday ruled was "avoidable". The handing down of those findings was delayed by another tragedy — the death of 24-year-old Warlpiri man Kumanjayi White in May, after he was restrained by police on the floor of an Alice Springs supermarket. "We were this close to end it, but again something happens, and another one gets killed," Mr Hargraves said. "In future when we welcome the police, it needs to be two ways of working and understanding." Mr Walker's cousin Samara Fernandez-Brown said she was "relieved" the coronial inquest had ended but the community wouldn't stop fighting for change, including for an ombudsman for police complaints. "When we heard the coroner say that there was structural and entrenched racism in the NT police we felt validated; as a family, to us, we felt racism killed Kumanjayi," she said. She also welcomed the coroner's finding that her cousin didn't reach for the former constable's gun in the scuffle that night. On Monday, Coroner Elisabeth Armitage found that Mr Rolfe "was racist", and that he was a beneficiary of an organisation — the NT Police Force — that had "the hallmarks of institutional racism". "While it was not possible for me to say with certainty that Mr Rolfe's racist attitudes were operative in his decisions on 9 November or were a contributing cause of Kumanjayi's death, I cannot exclude that possibility," she said. Mr Rolfe was acquitted of all charges related to Kumanjayi Walker's death, including murder, in his 2022 Supreme Court trial. On Tuesday Mr Rolfe released a statement saying he was entitled to the presumption of innocence and didn't accept any coronial findings "inconsistent with his rightful acquittal". "He does not accept a finding that he subverted [Yuendumu] Sergeant [Julie] Frost and instituted his own plan. He does not accept the criticisms that he failed to adhere to operational safety training, or that he ignored his training at all," the statement said. "Constable Rolfe was violently stabbed despite his polite and calm disposition, all of which is self-evident from the body worn video that he wore when this incident occurred … "Insofar as some may hold a view to the contrary, this was never about race." The NT Police Association said in a statement that its officers "do their best to respond, protect, and serve, while often knowing the root causes lie beyond their reach". "For years, commissioner after commissioner has introduced policies and training aimed at addressing these challenges and eliminating harmful attitudes within the force, specifically racism," the statement said. "Yet too often, these measures are not upheld or enforced." NT Police Acting Commissioner Martin Dole, meanwhile, responded to Mr Hargraves's claims that he had reneged on a planned meeting on Monday. "I'm sorry that Ned feels that way and I apologise that he feels that way," he said. "But I did have consultation with several of the elders and we thought it was best that that meeting take place in future days." Mr Hargraves said he remained disappointed in the commissioner and was "strongly against" him returning to the community. "I won't talk to him again, I won't ever talk to him. I don't want to," he said. First Nations people across the country felt the impact of the findings handed down on Monday. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss told News Breakfast the reality of deaths in custody affected many Indigenous families. "There isn't one Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person in the country that isn't touched by this experience, and it reflects on the fact that on any given day it could be any one of our children or grandchildren," she said. Since the landmark Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991, almost 600 First Nations people have died in custody, with 13 lives lost this year alone. In a statement, Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said Kumanjayi Walker's family and the wider Warlpiri-Luritja community had suffered a profound loss and were experiencing deep grief. "I acknowledge the important work of Coroner Armitage and encourage the Northern Territory Government to carefully review and consider the recommendations in full," she said. Shadow Indigenous Australians Minister Kerrynne Liddle told RN Breakfast she hoped the Northern Territory government would act on the coroner's calls for better community policing, youth and mental health supports. The federal government should also be held accountable, she said, noting the "significant" investment it makes into territory services and policing. Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe said Aboriginal deaths in custody were not unique to the Northern Territory and the federal government must be held accountable. "This is a national crisis, and as long as the federal government does nothing … they are complicit in these deaths," she said. On Tuesday, kids on school holidays were running around the basketball court in Yuendumu, unfazed by the glaring sun, their smiles wide as they sank in the hoops. Ms Fernandez-Brown echoed the coroner's calls for more of these Yapa-based community services. "Everything we do is for our people, it's to make sure the futures of our young people get to be safer, which is more relevant this week because it is NAIDOC week and we are looking to the future as well," she said. An internal police anti-racism strategy is expected to be released soon, but the Northern Territory government's review into racism in the NT police force, initiated by the former Labor government, was scrapped after the CLP won government last year. Kumanjayi Walker's family continue to call for a ban on guns worn by police officers surveilling Aboriginal communities, something the coroner said police should discuss with Yuendumu leadership. Senator Thorpe urged Northern Territory authorities to hear the family's wishes. "The family cannot be ignored here. To bring healing and some kind of justice, we must listen and adhere to what that community and that family needs," she said.
ABC News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Children's commissioners urge federal youth justice reform ahead of First Nations conference in Alice Springs
The nation's major leaders, experts and community voices on First Nations justice will meet today in Alice Springs, amid growing calls for federal action on incarceration rates and deaths in custody. 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. Their discussions will include a focus on what children's commissioners are calling the "disturbing erosion of hard-won safeguards intended to shield Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from institutional harm" across Australia. The two-day meeting follows a series of changes around the country to youth justice, bail and policing pitched at community safety, which advocates say disproportionately affect First Nations adults and children. It also comes less than a month after Warlpiri man Kumanjayi White died in police custody after he was restrained on the floor of an Alice Springs supermarket. Mr White's death has prompted calls for an independent investigation and for federal action to prevent further deaths in custody, particularly of First Nations people. Mr White's grandfather, senior Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, has written to the prime minister requesting the Commonwealth withhold funding to the NT until it independently investigates his death and establishes a police integrity commission. He also supported calls for the federal government to implement all recommendations from the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Adult and youth justice in Australia are overseen by state and territory governments, but pressure has been growing for the federal government to play a greater role. Productivity Commission data shows Australia is not on track to meet its adult incarceration target under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, and the nation is going backwards on its youth incarceration targets. An independent, Indigenous-led review into Closing the Gap recently found "limited evidence that governments are making any systemic changes to meet [their] commitments". Ahead of the Alice Springs conference, a group of children's commissioners have urged the federal government to take "immediate action" to improve the states and territories' accountability for meeting those targets. The commissioners — who are part of the Australian and New Zealand Children's Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates (ANZCCGA) First Nations Caucus — also warned Australia is breaching its international obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. "These are not symbolic gestures. They are binding commitments," the group said in a statement. In just over the past year, the Victorian, Queensland, NSW and NT governments have each passed changes expanding the circumstances under which children and teenagers can be held in custody, with South Australia recently releasing a "young offender plan" highlighting potential areas for reform. The ANZCCGA commissioners have urged the federal government to enshrine Australia's obligations under the UN treaty into domestic law, urgently establish a national children's minister, and pass a human rights act. In a statement, conference organiser the Justice Reform Initiative said the annual event would discuss "evidence-based reform" to the justice system to improve community safety. "This conference represents the strong and diverse range of experience and expertise that policymakers can and should draw upon, instead of resorting to failed 'tough on crime' rhetoric and increasingly punitive legislation."
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘You must step in': family of Kumanjayi White demand federal government support after death in custody
The grandfather of a 24-year-old man who died in custody last month is pleading with the prime minister to 'step in' amid what he calls a 'justice crisis' in the Northern Territory. Kumanjayi White, a Warlpiri man with disabilities died after being restrained by police at an Alice Springs supermarket last month. His death sparked multiple rallies and vigils both in the Northern Territory and in cities and towns nationally, including at the weekend. In an open letter, White's grandfather, respected elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, urged Anthony Albanese to 'match your fine words with action' and claimed that the NT criminal justice system is failing and in 'crisis'. 'This madness must stop. You must step in now,' he wrote. The letter was released ahead of protests in Sydney and Alice Springs on Saturday. Hargraves said there was 'no trust' between the community of Yuendumu and the NT police. White was from the same remote community devastated by the fatal 2019 shooting of Kumanjayi Walker by an NT police officer, Zachary Rolfe. Rolfe was later charged with murder but acquitted of all charges in a supreme court trial. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The inquest into Walker's death revealed shocking allegations of racism from NT police officers, including racist mock awards given to police officers and offensive racist text messages. The findings are due to be handed down by the coroner next month. The open letter was released on the 18th anniversary of the NT intervention, a controversial 'emergency response' policy implemented by the Howard government, with bipartisan support, using as justification a report documenting child sexual abuse. It saw the government compulsorily acquire township leases over Aboriginal-owned land; abolish the permit system which gave Aboriginal people control over who entered their land; introduce income management to all community residents receiving welfare payments; send the army in to police communities; and post signs declaring bans on alcohol and pornography in township or 'prescribed' areas. Hargraves said the federal government used sweeping powers to 'take away all our rights, our jobs and our assets' under the intervention, so it had the power to step in and help communities. 'Our communities were devastated and we have not recovered,' he wrote. 'Now we demand action from Canberra to see that our rights are restored.' The family are renewing their demands for an independent investigation, the release of CCTV footage, and for the officers involved to be stood down while the investigation is ongoing. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The NT police and territory government have repeatedly ruled out another jurisdiction taking over the investigation into White's death. Hargraves also expressed his community's solidarity with the Warlpiri community after the death of an Aboriginal man who died in custody in Darwin a week after his grandson. The 68-year-old from the remote community of Wadeye died in intensive care at Darwin hospital after he was arrested by Australian federal police over reports he was 'intoxicated' and unable to board a flight out of Darwin. NT police said the cause of death was undetermined, pending a postmortem examination. He was a respected and senior elder who lobbied for bilingual schooling and better education funding for his community. The prime minister's office, the minister for Indigenous Australians and the NT government have been contacted for further response. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support. Other international helplines can be found at
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Grandfather pens letter to PM after death in custody
The grandfather of a 24-year-old man who died in custody has drafted an open letter to the prime minister calling on Canberra to step in and address "madness" in the Northern Territory's justice system. The senior Warlpiri leader and kin of Kumanjayi White, who died after being forcibly restrained by two plain clothes officers inside a supermarket in Alice Springs in May, said justice in the Territory was "in crisis". "Your government in Canberra has total power over the NT," Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, a Yuendumu man, wrote. "The prisons are so full they need private security guards; guards on buses and public housing officers are being given guns - this madness must stop." The letter addressed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed ahead of protests in Sydney and Alice Springs on Saturday to demand justice for Mr White. The senior Indigenous leader renewed his call for an independent investigation into the death of his grandson. The family has also been calling for the release of CCTV footage and for the officers involved to be stood down while the investigation takes place. Federal minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, backs an independent inquiry but despite broad support, the NT government has rejected the proposal, saying NT Police are best-placed to investigate the death. Police allege Mr White, who had a mental disability and was in care, was shoplifting and assaulted a security guard. In his letter, Mr Hargraves demanded immediate action from the Commonwealth, including withholding funding to the NT government until it agreed to an independent probe. "You used this power to take away all our rights, our jobs and our assets with the NT Intervention 18 years ago today," he said. "Now we demand action from Canberra to see that our rights are restored and we are protected from the racist Country Liberal Party government." Speaking ahead of a meeting of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap in Darwin on Friday, Senator McCarthy said deaths in custody had to end and the federal government was deeply concerned about the issue. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was shot by then-NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a botched arrest. Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of all charges over the death in 2022. Protesters in Sydney gathered to respond to a policing conference involving the former police officer but the first responders event has since been cancelled, according to the rally organisers.
ABC News
11-06-2025
- ABC News
Yuendumu community members gather at third Alice Springs vigil for Kumanjayi White
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. More than 100 members of Kumanjayi White's family and community have travelled hundreds of kilometres to gather in Alice Springs for the town's third vigil mourning the young Warlpiri man. The 24-year-old died in police custody last month after he was restrained by plain-clothed police on the floor of an Alice Springs supermarket. His death has sparked an outpouring of grief and anger, with rallies and vigils held across the country demanding "justice" and an end to Indigenous deaths in custody. Members from Mr White's home community of Yuendumu travelled to Alice Springs on Wednesday to repeat those calls and his family's demands for an independent investigation into the incident. The vigil began with community members walking from the Alice Springs court house lawns to the Coles supermarket where Mr White died on May 27. Media were asked to stay outside, but a few community members — led by Warlpiri women — went inside the store and ceremonially swept branches in the aisles, in a traditional ceremony called "finishing up". The crowd of about 200 then returned to the lawns, where Mr White's grandfather Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, a senior Warlpiri elder, was the first to speak. "We want justice, we want justice," he said with anger. "Enough is enough. Say it with me, enough is enough." Mr Hargraves said he wanted witnesses to the incident to come forward and "tell us what happened". "Because [police] won't give us CCTV ... and we are demanding that we do not want police-to-police investigating," he said. "We want the two police that were involved to stand down. The family has also requested that police "cease making public statements that allege criminality and denigrate the character of Kumanjayi". The NT Police Force has said two officers detained Mr White after an alleged altercation with a security guard who accused him of shoplifting. The ABC understands one of the officers was NT police prosecutor Steven Haig. NT Police Acting Commissioner Martin Dole has rejected requests for the investigation to be handed to an external body, saying there are strict procedures regarding "deaths involving police contact with the public". He has also said the "integrity" of evidence, including CCTV, needs to be maintained while police continue their criminal investigation into the incident. Lynette Tasman, one of Mr White's grandmothers, also spoke at the vigil, saying the family was "heartbroken". "We are so sad and hurt, so hurt that our loved one was taken away," she said. "When are we going to get justice? We're humans too, even though we're black." Ms Tasman said many of her family members had worked in the police force, "supporting the law". "Where's that law for us? Where's the truth?" she said. In an emotional address to the crowd, Warlpiri woman Valerie Napaljarri Martin said her community was suffering. "When are we going to have justice for our kids?" she said. "He was only hungry ... why for this, we have to lose another young fella, our family, our young, just emerging. "Shame on Australia. It's a disgrace, how we are living." The vigil comes just days after the death of another Indigenous man in police custody in the Northern Territory. On Saturday, a respected Wadeye elder died at Royal Darwin Hospital while in the custody of federal police, about a week after he was detained at Darwin airport. Arrernte woman Barbara Shaw, who helped organise Wednesday's vigil, reflected on that death as well as she called for action. She also spoke about how Mr White was living in supported accommodation in Alice Springs because of his disabilities. "No one is taking responsibility for our service providers, no one is checking up on our carers," she said. "We're the only people that can care for our people, but we don't have the skills. "Service providers are not giving Aboriginal people a chance to take care of our own."
