NT Police: External racism review stalls due to lack of funding, police engagement

The Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commissioner says a proposed review into whether racism exists in the police force has failed to achieve lift-off due to a funding impasse and lack of police engagement.

Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Jeswynn Yogaratnam says his office has not been properly resourced to undertake a systemic review into whether racism exists in the Northern Territory Police Force. Picture: File

A review probing whether systemic racism exists in the Northern Territory Police Force has failed to achieve lift-off because of a lack of allocated resources and police disengagement, the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner says.

In the wake of damning evidence of racist awards uncovered during the Kumanjayi Walker inquest and the subsequent Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation, both of which remain ongoing, Chief Minister Eva Lawler said the Anti-Discrimination Commission (ADC) would also be tasked with conducting a review.

However, on Saturday, commissioner Jeswynn Yogaratnam said the commission was in no position to conduct a review until the NT government better resourced the proposal and police brass got serious about engaging with his office.

The NT government has so far offered $170,000, but Mr Yogaratnam said this would barely scrape the sides of what would be needed.

Zach Rolfe’s shooting of Kumanjayi Walker at Yuendumu continues to send shockwaves through NT Police. Picture: Jason Walls

“The funding offered does not adequately enable the ADC to build a team, let alone to secure a senior project lead,” he said.

“The funding should be for up to three years at the minimum to ensure there is implementation, monitoring and evaluation on the review recommendations.

“We have voiced this to the Attorney-General and the Minister for Police.

“We have not commenced the review, and will not commence until we have been adequately resourced.”

Mr Yogaratnam suggested that NT Police (NTPF), fresh from a budget cash injection of $570m, could chip in to support his review of the organisation, but Ms Lawler told Katie Woolf on Mix 104.9 recently she was against a redirection of operational funding.

Another barrier to the review, Mr Yogaratnam said, was a lack of urgency and engagement from the police hierarchy.

NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy arrives at the Alice Springs Local Court on May 29, 2024 for the final day of an inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker. Picture: Jason Walls

“The ADC has been actively attempting to engage with the NT Police Commissioner,” he said.

“The ADC is hopeful that any imminent racism review of NTPF will be conducted with full co-operation NTPF.”

An NT Police spokeswoman said Commissioner Michael Murphy was “committed to eliminating racism and discrimination within our organisation” but was silent as to whether the organisation was in fact open to an external ADC probe.

She said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees had been invited form an ATSI reference group for policy input, and Leanne Liddle, who has been appointed Executive Director, Community Resilience and Engagement Command, would be spearheading the organisation’s goal of boosting ATSI staff levels to more than 30 per cent.

In a statement provided to this masthead, Ms Lawler claimed the ADC would “work alongside” police to conduct the review – if in fact it does get up off the ground, in light of the impasse – but Mr Yogaratnam shot down the suggestion.

“The project team cannot be seen or structured to be working alongside NTPF as this creates a perception bias and can interfere with the independence of the review as well as affect public trust and confidence in the review process,” he said.