More TRG certificates emerge as Zac Rolfe conducts independent investigation into NT Police officers accused of misleading inquest
Previously unpublished awards allegedly produced by NT Police officers were included in Rolfe’s report, which alleges a prima facie case against five officers accused of misleading a court.
Police & Courts
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Former Northern Territory police constable Zac Rolfe has answered the Chief Minister’s challenge to substantiate allegations of misleading conduct against five officers, producing a lengthy report he says establishes a prima facie case against them.
Mr Rolfe’s report alleges “significant oversight” in a joint investigation by police and the NT Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, which examined whether the officers misled a coronial inquest when they claimed no knowledge of racist awards produced by members of the NT Police Territory Response Group.
Mr Rolfe’s report also provides alleged examples of more TRG awards containing derogatory language produced after 2015, calling into question the ICAC’s findings no evidence of racist awards was identified after that date.
Mr Rolfe sent the report, under the banner of his private security company Orion Investigations, to the Northern Territory Acting Police Commissioner, the Director of Public Prosecutions, and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, calling for the matter to be “immediately and thoroughly” reviewed.
Mr Rolfe stated his investigation was motivated by a scene during Question Time last month, when Mrs Finocchiaro shut down a crossbencher who asked what action was being taken against the five officers.
“If you think someone has allegedly done something wrong, why don’t you walk to the DPP and let them know … as far as I am concerned this matter is closed,” Mrs Finocchiaro told MLA Justine Davis on March 26.
Mr Rolfe’s investigation – which he claims is based on publicly available information and interviews with witnesses he said would be willing to go on the record – alleges either the inquest was deliberately misled, or “racist language and behaviour had become so entrenched and normalised within the culture of the TRG and, by extension, the broader Northern Territory Police Force the subjects genuinely failed to recognise such conduct as inappropriate or significant enough to recall clearly”.
Mr Rolfe’s report found no indication NT Police interviewed any witnesses during its internal investigation.
He also found “strong inferences” a brief provided by police to the DPP was “incomplete”.
The report included examples of previously unpublished awards allegedly produced by the TRG in 2019 and 2021, containing derogatory, sexist and racially charged content.
“‘I’m a proud white man,’ said the racist,” one of the awards reads, implying white people were victims of a double standard.
That award also made a joke about people with dwarfism, and allegedly included an explicit image of a woman which was redacted.
Presenter notes allegedly accompanying a separate 2021 award recounted an instance of an officer believing he had discovered something illicit hidden under someone’s shirt, when “ … upon lifting up the shirt to work out why he can’t remove this package he sees he has a good handful of saggy tit in his hand, and Shaun was actually a Shauna”.
A ‘Nooguda’ award allegedly handed out in 2019 contained links to Aboriginal language and culture: “Jabtula, jabljari, millicappiki, motorbike, tree branch, anunga, Walpiri, ‘they’re my people’,” it reads.
Existence of the TRG awards first came to light during Mr Rolfe’s evidence at the Kumanjayi Walker inquest in February last year.
Director of Public Prosecutions Lloyd Babb said he sent a copy of Mr Rolfe’s report to the ICAC, noting the report had already been sent to NT Police.
“No further action will be undertaken by the DPP unless a referral is received from NT Police or the ICAC for consideration,” Mr Babb said.
“There is no provision in the Act for the DPP to function as an investigative agency and the DPP has no powers to investigate.”
An NT Police spokesman confirmed it had received Mr Rolfe’s report.
“The ICAC has concluded that there is no admissible evidence of misconduct by the five named police officers that would warrant further investigation or potential charges,” he said.
“As this matter is still part of an ongoing coronial inquest, we are unable to provide any additional comment at this time.”
Acting Chief Minister and Police Minister Gerard Maley said the police and DPP had received the report and “will respond appropriately”.
“The coronial inquest remains ongoing, with findings expected next month. We do not intend to provide further public commentary while the process continues,” he said.
The ICAC declined to comment.
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