Opposition demands probe to determine political interference

CLP Leader Lia Finocchiaro says an independent inquiry into the 2019 police shooting should be held at arm’s length from Government.

OPPOSITION Leader Lia Finocchiaro has called for an independent inquiry into the events leading up to the charging of NT Police Constable Zach Rolfe with the fatal shooting of an Aboriginal man in Yuendumu in 2019.

Speaking on ABC radio on Monday, Ms Finocchiaro said the independent inquiry would be separate from a Coronial Inquiry.

“An inquiry will look into the events that led up to the charging of Constable Rolfe and whether or not there was political interference or anything that led to the decision to charge,” she said.

“The Coronial will go back through what happened, the events of the incident and may very well come up with a number of recommendations to police and to government about how things could be done differently.

“We are very concerned that this has had a profound impact on our police, on our community, on the people of Yuendumu and now the case is final and Constable Rolfe has been cleared … we now need to be looking back and making sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Ms Finocchiaro said the charges laid against Constable Rolfe and subsequent trial had impacted serving NT police.

“The debilitating impact that this has had on our police force for the past two years can’t be underestimated,” she said.

“You don’t just charge someone for murder because it might make the family of the deceased feel better and in fact I don’t think they’d be feeling very good at all.

“That would be all part of an inquiry into why he was charged in the first place.”

A spokesman for Mr Gunner said the matter would be subject to a Coronial investigation.

In response to questions over calls to investigate the circumstances surrounding the arrest, charges and investigation into Constable Rolfe, the spokesman highlighted the coronial inquest.

He said this would be the investigation in the wake of the Rolfe verdict.

The Coroner’s office investigates deaths and suspected deaths in the Northern Territory on behalf of the community.