‘We’ll take our time’: Chief Minister speaks out in wake of Walker inquest findings
The NT Chief Minister has broken her silence a week after the Walker inquest found Zachary Rolfe ‘was racist’ and that the NT Police Force has ‘hallmarks of institutional racism’.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Northern Territory Chief Minister has broken her silence a week after the Walker inquest found Zachary Rolfe “was racist” and that the NT Police Force has “hallmarks of institutional racism”.
Chief Minister and Police Minister Lia Finocchiaro said the government would “take our time” to consider the coroner’s 32 recommendations, some of which she said were now “much less relevant than others” given the time that had passed.
“We have to take lessons from the past and largely that work has already been done,” she said.
On July 7 Coroner Elisabeth Armitage travelled to Yuendumu to hand down her findings into the death of Warlpiri-Luritja teen Kumanjayi Walker, marking an end to the Territory’s longest-running coronial inquest.
Walker was fatally shot in 2019 by then NT Police constable Zachary Rolfe during an arrest attempt in the remote community northwest of Alice Springs.
In 2022 a Supreme Court jury cleared Mr Rolfe of murder and manslaughter charges relating to the incident.
Ms Armitage found Walker’s death was “avoidable”, that there was a “possibility” racism contributed to Mr Rolfe’s decisions on that day, and that it was important NT police did not consider Mr Rolfe as “one bad apple”.
Mrs Finocchiaro said the inquest was “something that everyone wanted to see draw to an end”, including Walker’s loved ones, the police force, and the wider Territory community.
“It certainly went on far longer than anyone expected or liked,” she said.
“It’s now delivered recommendations that are six years after the fact, much has changed in that period of time, rendering some of them much less relevant than others.
“It’s raised some serious issues that require consideration, and largely a lot of work has been done.
“There’ll be much to say, and commentators will commentate – my job as Chief Minister is to make sure that as a government we’re looking at each recommendation, considering all of them, and providing our response.”
Mrs Finocchiaro did not give a timeline for when the government’s response to the inquiry recommendations would be delivered.
Asked about whether she accepted the coroner’s findings related to racism in NT police, Mrs Finocchiaro said she was looking forward to the internal anti-racism strategy being developed by Arrernte woman and Aboriginal Justice Agreement architect Leanne Liddle.
“The coroner wasn’t able to rule it (racism) in or out, it was really speculation as part of her findings, so that’s entirely a matter for her,” Mrs Finocchiaro said.
“The police force over the past six years has done a lot of work on this issue, we’re looking forward to the work being done by Leanne Liddle.
“Like every institution you’ve got to be moving forward, and over six years the Northern Territory police has been doing that.”
More Coverage
Originally published as ‘We’ll take our time’: Chief Minister speaks out in wake of Walker inquest findings
Man dies after being hit by bird in helicopter
A man has died in a freak helicopter accident in the Northern Territory, after the chopper struck a bird causing it to ricocheted into the cabin, fatally striking the 44-year-old.
Woman basher learns fate over ‘outrageous’ Nightcliff attack
Drunk and jealous, a Darwin man unleashed a “relentless” attack on his girlfriend in plain view of the public, punching and kicking her while she lay on the ground. After pleading guilty, the man’s conduct was shredded by a Judge, who called the horrific attack “outrageous”.