Zachary Rolfe, who shot Kumanjayi Walker three times in 2019, during an attempted arrest in Yuendumu in the Northern Territory, was found not guilty of charges of murder and manslaughter in March 2022. However, coroner Elisabeth Armitage said on July 7 that Rolfe was racist and made 32 recommendations.
The inquest into Walker’s death was supposed to be handed down two-and-a-half years ago, but was delayed by legal challenges from Rolfe and, most recently, the police killing of Kumanjayi White, Walker’s cousin.
Lidia Thorpe, Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung independent Victorian senator, said on July 7 that the inquest laid bare the racism in NT Police.
Armitage said the fatal shooting of Walker was a result of “officer-induced jeopardy”, which she explained “describes situations where officers needlessly put themselves in danger, making themselves and others vulnerable, and creating a situation that justifies the use of deadly force”.
She also found that Rolfe “was racist, and he worked in and benefited from an organisation with the hallmarks of institutional racism”, Thorpe said.
Rolfe was scheduled to speak at a function in Sydney’s west a couple of weeks ago, as he’s considered a “Soldier Police Hero” in some circles, and charges $10,000 to speak on “leadership, crisis management and ethical decision-making”. A protest by blakcaucus, outside the venue, forced his cancellation.
Thorpe said Walker’s inquest “showed what First Peoples have known forever — that racism is killing us”.
“This was not simply a case of ‘one bad apple’ but rather the result of the complete normalisation of racist and dehumanising conduct, that was not only tolerated, but implicitly endorsed, by NT Police.”
She said it was an “entirely avoidable tragedy”.
Trauma repeats for First Nations families, Thorpe said, because “no one [is] ever held accountable”. She called for a “complete overhaul” of NT Police “to once and for all to eradicate the institutional racism within it”.
Over the last week, two First Nations men died in custody at Parklea Prison in NSW. “These are not insulated incidents, but the result of systemic racism and systemic failure,” Thorpe said.
Armitage is recommending the NT government invest in better support for children, early intervention, mental health and wrap-around youth services, and that power should be given to the Yuendumu community to lead and deliver such services.
Thorpe said government support for a so-called “community safety approach” is “really about further tightening bail laws and increasing policing in our communities”.
Thorpe said the inquest findings and recommendations highlight “the importance of self-determined solutions for our people”.
“I welcome Coroner Armitage’s recommendation to, in consultation with the Yuendumu community, provide for First Peoples leadership, on-Country rehabilitation and diversion programs. The colonial legal system criminalises and harms our people and all too often kills them. Diversionary programs, developed and led by community, can bring much better outcomes for the individual, the family and the whole community.”
Thorpe said NT Police also needed to “respect the wishes of Walpiri elder Ned Hargraves by not bringing guns into Yuendumu”. She said the coroner’s recommendation that NT police “develop mutual respect agreements” with Yuendumu leadership groups, including on carrying firearms in the community, must be followed.
“This should not just be another report that governments choose not to act on. All the Coroner reports, Royal Commissions and inquiries are worth nothing if no action is taken,” Thorpe said.