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The Guardian
08-07-2025
- The Guardian
Kumanjayi Walker inquest findings will bring ‘lasting reform' to NT police, says anti-racism officer
The woman in charge of eliminating racism within the Northern Territory police says the findings of an inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker will mark the beginning of 'lasting reform' towards 'a police force that all Territorians can trust'. Leanne Liddle, an Arrernte woman and former police officer, fronted the media in Alice Springs alongside the acting NT police commissioner, Martin Dole, on Tuesday, a day after the coroner found the officer who fatally shot the 19-year-old was 'racist' and 'worked in and benefited from an organisation with the hallmarks of institutional racism'. 'The coroner's findings are deeply confronting, but they're not new to many Aboriginal people,' Liddle said. 'What matters now is how we respond.' The NT's longest-running inquest presented its findings on Monday in the central desert community of Yuendumu where 19-year-old Walker was fatally shot by police officer Zachary Rolfe during an attempted arrest six years ago. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Walker stabbed Rolfe with a pair of scissors shortly before he was shot by the then constable. Rolfe was charged with murder, but acquitted of all charges in 2022. The inquest had a broader scope than the trial, and unearthed text messages in which Rolfe and other officers used derogatory language to describe Aboriginal people. It also heard of racist awards within an elite police unit, which the coroner, Elisabeth Armitage, labelled a 'grotesque' example of racism. In her 683-page report, Armitage said she could not exclude the possibility that racism had contributed to the fatal shooting, and said it was important that NT police did not consider Rolfe as 'one bad apple'. The coroner made 33 recommendations, more than half of which were aimed at improving police recruitment, training, culture and relationships with the Aboriginal community – including engaging with leaders in Yuendumu about when it was appropriate to carry guns in the community. Dole said the organisation would consider the recommendations 'in due course'. 'This is a very different police force in 2025 to what it was in 2019, and that journey is continuing,' he said on Tuesday. Liddle said the findings would inform a draft anti-racism plan for NT police – 'a practical road map to confront, prevent and eliminate racism' – which would soon be made available for consultation. The former South Australian police officer was scathing of NT police when she gave evidence to the inquest in 2023, telling the coroner racism was 'systemic' in the force. Liddle was appointed to lead a cultural overhaul of the organisation last year and said much had changed since then. 'I've already seen meaningful change occur across the organisation,' she said. 'There is still a long way to go, but the shift is real.' Several peak Indigenous organisations have called for the coroner's findings to be a catalyst for change. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Katie Kiss, said it underscored the 'urgent need for sweeping reform' across the justice system. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion A spokesperson for NAAJA, the legal service representing Aboriginal people in the NT, welcomed the final report, but said they was disappointed the coroner did not recommend an independent oversight body 'to deliver true accountability and transparency in cases of police misconduct towards Aboriginal people, and to drive structural change in the police force'. The coroner's recommendations for the NT government included creating a 10-year plan for youth in Yuendumu; an expanded night patrol in the remote community; a review of the availability of youth services, including the provision of on-country rehabilitation and diversion services; and possibly a leadership group for Yuendumu. The NT's Country Liberal Party, which won government last year on the back of a promise to be tough on crime, said it 'welcomes the conclusion of this lengthy process, which has taken a significant toll on the community and the NT Police Force'. 'The government will now take the time to consider the findings and recommendations, noting that much has changed over the last six years,' a Finocchiaro government spokesperson said. The federal minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, encouraged the NT government to 'carefully review and consider the recommendations in full'. The NT senator said her thoughts were with Walker's family, Yuendumu, and the broader Warlpiri-Luritja community. 'They have suffered a profound loss. They are exhausted and still experiencing deep grief.' Walker's family were expected to address the media late on Tuesday after taking time to process the findings. 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
Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd review — did Black Lives Matter fail?
It is five years since an American police officer killed George Floyd in plain sight, crushing the life out of him with his knee for nine minutes and 29 seconds as the world heard his dying words 'I can't breathe'. To call what has happened since 'eventful' would be quite the understatement. The outrage sparked an international insurgence demanding equal rights for black people and an end to institutional racism. Black Lives Matter marches were staged, statues of slave traders were toppled, footballers took the knee, and it seemed that something had permanently shifted especially when that police officer, Derek Chauvin, was jailed for 22 years. But a backlash was waiting. 'What the hell happened?' asked Nekima Levy Armstrong, a US lawyer and social justice
