NT Police Minister Brent Potter says no systemic racism in force after fresh claims emerge

The NT Police Minister says systemic racism doesn’t exist in the force, after fresh allegations of racist certificates including ‘c--n of the year’ and an award for the ‘utmost level of Aboriginality’.

Police Commissioner Michael Murphy, flanked by Police Minister Brent Potter. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

The Northern Territory Police Minister says he does not believe there is any systemic racism in the police force, after fresh allegations of racist awards emerged in recent days.

Evidence of awards handed out by the force’s elite Territory Response Group unit between 2007 and 2016 have been collected by the NT corruption watchdog, including one for “c--n of the year”, and a “Noogadah Award” for displaying the “utmost level of Aboriginality”.

Existence of the awards first came to light at an inquest into the death of an Aboriginal teen shot by former NT Constable Zach Rolfe, continuing this week in Alice Springs.

A NT Police TRG award issued in 2015, set to the background of William H. West’s Big Minstrel Jubilee, featuring a caricature of what appears to be a person wearing blackface. Picture - Supplied

Mr Rolfe, who was acquitted of any wrongdoing over the shooting, has told the coroner racism was widespread in the NT police force.

Police Minister Brent Potter said the awards were “disappointing” and “don’t have a place in the Northern Territory”, but felt confident “this is all historical”.

An ICAC statement said evidence suggested a significant shift in behaviours and attitudes in the TRG since 2016.

“I don’t think there is systemic racism in the police force, I think the Commissioner and (police) hierarchy are doing a good job of stamping it out, and there’s a lot of cultural reform that has happened since the Rolfe shooting occurred,” Mr Potter said.

“Like any organisation, there will be pockets and individuals that will do inappropriate things.”

He said TRG members, “more than most”, were feeling hurt by the racism allegations “because unfortunately they can’t come out, put their face to it and say ‘this isn’t us’”.

NT Police Minister Brent Potter said culture in the force had changed. Picture: Fia Walsh.

Mr Potter downplayed concerns former TRG members could now be in more senior positions within the force, saying it was not his place to determine internal disciplinary measures.

“I’m not familiar with who that could be referring to,” he said.

“What I do know is the people that are there now are not the same people as back then.

“I don’t control the discipline system of the Northern Territory Police Force, that is for the Commissioner. I think there’s a mixture of options available to him including retraining, and acknowledging this was a decade or more ago.”

The minister defended Commissioner Murphy being the right person for the job, despite revelations that in 2022 he reinstated a senior cop who shared “racist and misogynistic” photos of a topless Aboriginal woman.

Commissioner Murphy last week said “in hindsight” he would not have reversed the officer’s demotion, saying his “threshold” for racism was now much lower.

Mr Potter also defended his own history of sharing racist and sexist posts on social media.

“They were reflective of 10 years ago, and I’ve come out and faced up to them.”