Rosalie Lalara says she will fight for Groote’s future, has ‘learned from mistakes’ of $500k theft

Rosalie Lalara says she wants to serve the community and has learned from past mistakes that led to a stint in prison for stealing almost $500k in Aboriginal royalties.

Rosalie Lalara leaves the NT Supreme Court in 2016 after she pleaded guilty to rorting about $500,000 from the Groote Eyelandt Aboriginal Trust, where she worked as the public officer.

One of the candidates gunning for a spot in a remote Northern Territory council has defended her stint in prison for stealing almost $500k in Aboriginal royalties, saying she has learned from past mistakes.

Rosalie Lalara is one of five candidates vying for three councillor positions in next month’s Groote Archipelago Regional Council election.

She says she wants to help shape a better future for the local community

In 2016 Ms Lalara was sentenced to 18 months behind bars after pleading guilty to stealing $492,138 intended for the benefit of traditional clans on the archipelago off the East Arnhem coast.

The money was taken from the Groote Eylandt Aboriginal Trust (GEAT) between 2011 and 2012 while Ms Lalara was employed as the trust’s public officer, and was largely spent on cars, boats and bikes for one of her friends living in Queensland.

During sentencing, NT Supreme Court Justice Graham Hiley said Ms Lalara “fell for the charms” of her friend, and “naively believed that he could assist you and your community if you bestowed these various gifts upon him and his family”.

Speaking to this masthead this week Ms Lalara said she “learned lessons” from that time.

“I’m not going down that track again,” she said.

“My message to people is be careful, because you can be taken for a ride – that’s how I was taken … I’m still asking myself ‘Where did I go wrong?’

“My focus is to rebuild the community again; (with) better housing, hygiene, health and education.”

Groote Archipelago Regional Council Central Ward candidates: (L-R) Gordon Walsh, Leonard Amagula, Rosalie Lalara, Gregson Lalara and Fabian Lalara.

Other candidates running against Ms Lalara in the council election supported her efforts to serve the community.

Gregson Lalara – Ms Lalara’s cousin-brother – said she had stepped up and was working with local people.

“She’s learned from the mistake, it’s time to move forward and help the community,” he said.

Leonard Amagula said conflicts of interest were common on the island, and the community was practised at managing them.

“The Lalaras would do a good job, always do a good job representing people,” Mr Amagula said.

Gordon Walsh said the misappropriation of funds on the island was an issue that went beyond Ms Lalara’s case.

While many of Groote’s 1600 Indigenous residents live in poverty, the island is one of Australia’s wealthiest areas per capita thanks to royalties from manganese mining.

“I believe there’s a lot of money missing – $500,000 is only part of many millions. There must be a lot of other people out there they should be concerned about,” Mr Walsh said.

“Rosalie certainly has a community consciousness, and she’s paid her price.

“Good on her that she’s got that civic consciousness or civic duty, you need to have people doing it (running in elections), it’s only a small community.”

Manganese mining on Groote Eylandt has made it one of the most royalties rich places in the country. (AAP Image/Stephanie Flack)

Ms Lalara’s crimes were revealed amid an investigation into $34m that disappeared from the GEAT coffers between 2010 and 2012.

It was not suggested that Ms Lalara was responsible for all of the missing money, however she was the only individual ever charged.

In a separate case, the Auditor-General found $24m, or half of the Anindilyakwa Land Council 2021-22 royalties, was invested into entities supporting Winchelsea Mining – an enterprise jointly established and directed by then chief executive Mark Hewitt and late council chair T Wurramarrba.

Ms Lalara – in a longstanding feud with ALC management – gathered hundreds of signatures off the back of the auditor’s report demanding the federal government investigate “potential gross misconduct” regarding Indigenous royalty distribution.

Leaked documents later revealed Mr Hewitt, who has always denied any wrongdoing, had sought a personal stake of up to 10 per cent in Winchelsea Mining.

Federal investigations were ultimately launched into the ALC, and have led to Mr Hewitt being sacked, the ALC board and management “put on notice”, funding frozen, and raids on the ALC office by the anti-corruption watchdog.

Mr Hewitt and Mr Wurramarrba have not been charged with any offences.

Originally published as Rosalie Lalara says she will fight for Groote’s future, has ‘learned from mistakes’ of $500k theft