Warlpiri Elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves calls for Albanese to intervene in NT justice system
An Aboriginal Elder who lost two young family members to police deaths in custody has called the Prime Minister to intervene in the Territory justice system.
An Aboriginal Elder who lost two young family members to police deaths in custody has called the Prime Minister to intervene in the Territory justice system, warning that the NT Government was “using their power to destroy us”.
On Sunday, Warlpiri Elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves read his letter to Anthony Albanese calling on him to establish a national independent body to investigate all Aboriginal deaths in custody, and to confront the Country Liberal Party following a series of ‘tough on crime’ laws.
Mr Hargraves said his Central Australian community of 900 people in Yuendumu had suffered greatly in the past seven years, having lost his jaja (grandson) 24-year-old Kumanjayi White to a police death in custody days before the coroner was meant to hand down her findings to the police shooting of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2018.
Speaking to the Garma crowd on Sunday, Mr Hargraves described the devastation of his jaja’s death, with the young man with a disability passing away 70 minutes after being restrained to the ground by non-uniformed police officers in the Alice Spring Coles in May.
“This the second member of life, member of our family who was killed by your law,” he said.
“Our children, and their children’s children cannot be living in fear … It’s got to stop.
“We say ‘Yapakurlangu Warnkuaru Matter’ – meaning a black lives matter.”
Mr Hargraves said his family believed the Prime Minister was the only person who could take action to prevent future deaths in custody, and restore his community’s faith in the kardiya (non-Indigenous) police and justice system.
“If we are truly Australian citizens, then we demand an independent investigation into the death of Kumanjayi White, my jaja,” he said.
“If Australia is serious about reconciliation with the only lawful sovereigns of this country, establish an independent body — led by First Nations people — to investigate Aboriginal deaths in custody.”
Mr Hargraves said he had no faith in the current NT Government, following controversial amendments to the NT Sacred Sites Act, youth justice and bail changes resulting in a significant spike in Aboriginal people being incarcerated over the past 11 months.
“They are using their power to destroy us,” he said.
“We want you (Mr Albanese) to say to the CLP ‘Stop what you are doing and work with us instead of going against us’.
“Make history by demonstrating to the Australian public and international community that you no longer support apartheid laws that continue to oppress First Nations people.”
Mr Albanese directed his response to Federal Indigenous Australians Minister and NT Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, who said she had requested a meeting with the Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro to discuss recent justice system changes.
“There needs to be a really strong look, in particular, at the increase of numbers in the justice system here in the Northern Territory,” Ms McCarthy said.
According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, there has been 65 deaths in custody since the beginning of 2025, nearly a third of whom were Indigenous Australians despite making up less than 4 per cent of the population.
“We don’t want to see deaths in custody. It doesn’t matter if it’s an Aboriginal person or a non-Indigenous person, there should be no deaths in custody, full stop,” Ms McCarthy said.
“We have to focus on the fact that there are more Indigenous people though, being incarcerated when they shouldn’t be, young people being incarcerated when they could have other options.”
A response from Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro’s office defended the ‘tough on crime’ reforms, blaming NT Labor — including the former Arnhem MP Ms Malarndirri — for ‘unleashing’ the ‘crime crisis’ over the past two decades.
“It’s not racist to want to live in a safe community without fear of violent crime,” a spokesman said.
While at Garma, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Steve Edgington said the focus had to be wider than simply the law and order policies going through the NT parliament, pointing to the intergenerational issues of housing, health and education facing Aboriginal Territorians.
“There’s a lot of work to be done when it comes to dealing with the root causes of crime, when we talk about remote areas, building those structures back into community,” he said.
Mr Edgington maintained the government was consulting with Indigenous leaders in developing policy, stating: “We are working together”.
“There are some differences about how we’re going to get to the end product, but I can assure you that my focus is on working with land councils, Aboriginal organisations right across the board.
“The only way we’re going to see a stronger economy and jobs for people out bush is to work together.”
Mr Hargraves also repeated his appeals to the NT Police acting Commissioner Martin Dole to release the CCTV of the Coles where his jaja was fatally restrained, and for an update on the criminal investigation into the incident.
No charges have been laid against the two police officers involved.
He called on Mr Dole to restore trust between his community and NT Police by returning to Yuendumu to explain what has been done to address Kumanjayi Walker inquest’s findings of ‘systemic racism’ in the force.
“We need answers,” he said.
Following the coroner’s report, Mr Dole said in July that the police and family were taking their time to “digest the findings”.
“We said that we acknowledge those recommendations and we’ll consider those in due course,” he said.
“I did have consultation with several of the Elders and we thought it was best that meeting take place in future days.
NT Police were contacted for further comment.
More Coverage
Originally published as Warlpiri Elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves calls for Albanese to intervene in NT justice system
