Coroner releases TRG’s ‘c—n of the year award’ certificates tendered during Zach Rolfe’s evidence

One of the certificates released on Monday reads ‘CAUTION for a RAPE’, with the words ‘NUGGADAH WINNER 2013’ superimposed over an Aboriginal flag.

A certificate tendered during the evidence of former NT Police constable Zach Rolfe during an inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker in March.

Police Commissioner Michael Murphy says NT Police has not verified “absolutely disgraceful and abhorrent” certificates featuring an Aboriginal flag allegedly handed out to elite officers but is “taking them as true”.

Speaking to the media after copies of the certificates were released by Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage on Monday, Mr Murphy described them as “a line in the sand”.

“I have seen the certificates, it’s absolutely disgraceful and abhorrent and I won’t stand for that type of culture in the Northern Territory Police,” he said.

“We need to move forward and do a significant amount of homework to make sure the NT Police is a safe, a culturally safe and a culturally competent organisation that Indigenous people want to work with — and importantly, serve our community.”

Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said the certificates were ‘a line in the sand’. Picture: Zizi Averill

Mr Murphy confirmed he knew the names of the officers awarded the certificates, which have been blacked out in the released images, but said it would be “inappropriate” to comment on whether they would be disciplined.

“We’ve got a joint investigation with the independent corruption commissioner and our professional standards command that’s currently under way and it’d be inappropriate for me to comment on the status of that investigation,” he said.

“We’ve also got a Coroner’s inquest under way where this is subject to material at the Coroner’s court and that’s still going with further hearings in May.

“So there are a number of avenues, we’ve got the ombudsman, and yes, we’ve got to talk about these issues and be transparent on what the outcomes are and what the investigation brings.”

TRG’s ‘c—n of the year award’ certificates revealed for first time

The Territory Coroner has released images of so-called “nugeda” awards allegedly handed out to members of NT Police’s elite Territory Response Group, one of which features an Aboriginal flag.

The certificates were tendered during the evidence of former constable Zach Rolfe at an inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker earlier this month.

Mr Rolfe told Coroner Elisabeth Armitage the TRG awarded them for a lack of intelligence or personal hygiene and claimed they were known as the “c—n of the year award”.

NT Police officers have denied the allegations of racism, but one of the certificates released on Monday reads “CAUTION for a RAPE......that’s all that needs to be said”, with the words “NUGGADAH WINNER 2013” superimposed over an Aboriginal flag.

When the certificates first came to light on March 1, NT Police barrister Ian Freckelton KC successfully argued for them to be suppressed, citing “the risk that assumptions and inferences will be drawn as to their authenticity”.

“The documents have come toward you from a witness who can say nothing about them, save that he has been provided with them by some other person in circumstances, even then, which are somewhat unclear,” he said.

“What you don’t know is whether there are any indicia of authenticity about these documents, save what you can see by looking at them — and documents can be generated in this era in all manner of ways.”

Dr Freckelton said “the situation can be remedied by simply provision of a little time in order to investigate the status of these pieces of paper”.

A ‘nooguda’ certificate for ‘outstanding lack of excellence in cooking sausages’ purportedly awarded to an unnamed officer in 2012.

In arguing for the certificates to be made public at the time, North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency barrister Phillip Boulten SC said publication was not contrary to the interests of justice.

“The way that this evidence is unfolding in real-time is itself a matter which affects your consideration of issues such as police responsibility for investigating police and the extent to which there are racist attitudes held among serving officers,” he said.

“If it proves that these certificates are wrong, inaccurate, misleading, fabricated, or in any other way inauthentic, then that no doubt will be published as well.”

In making the interim order, Ms Armitage said she would receive further submissions about whether it should be lifted but did not release those submissions publicly on Monday.

NT Police is yet to respond to a request for comment about the status of the investigation into the certificates’ authenticity.

In a statement provided to the inquest after the certificates came to light, officer in charge of the TRG, senior sergeant Mark Clemmens said he had “never heard any of the awards being referenced as the ‘c—n of the year award’ until Mr Rolfe’s evidence”.

“I would not tolerate such an abhorrent award or the use of such racist language,” he said.

“The TRG is not racist. Systemic racism does not exist in the TRG.”

Originally published as Coroner releases TRG’s ‘c—n of the year award’ certificates tendered during Zach Rolfe’s evidence