On nine November twenty nineteen, in Yundamu, Kumenji Walker, a nineteen year old Walpur literature teenager, was shot and killed by former Constable Zachary Rolf.
Kumanji Walker's family gathered this week to hear coroner Elizabeth Armitage share her findings into his death.
Having considered all the evidence, including mister Rolf's explanations and justifications, I found that mister Rolf was racist and that he worked in and was the beneficiary of an organization with hallmarks of institutional racism.
In twenty twenty two, Rolf was found not guilty of Kumanji Walker's murder, but his family have always maintained that Rolfs racism played a role in Walker's death. Coroner Elizabeth Armitich said she couldn't rule that out.
That I cannot exclude that possibility. Is a tragedy for kumin Jay's family and community who will always believe that race played an integral part in his death, and it is a taint that may stain the NT police.
I'm Daniel James, and you're listening at seven am today Investigative journalist Kate Wilde and what the inquest revealed about the racist culture of the Northern Territory Police, how it enabled Zachary Rolf to act with impunity, and whether institutional change is possible. It's Wednesday, July ninth, Kate, this particular in quest, can you tell me about its scope and about the coroner's approach the questions that she was seeking to answer.
So, the coronial process is designed to determine the place and cause of a person's death and the identity of your person who's died at it's most basic, also designed to figure out what has contributed to that death in
order to prevent similar deaths in the future. And that was really the task that Elizabeth Armitage set herself, was to look more deeply at this conflict between a young Aboriginal man and a young white police officer in a single house in a remote community in the Northern Territory. What led them both to be in that house at that moment, What were the forces, the cultural and attitudinal forces driving each of them, and what made that a
fatal moment of contact. One of the things that has been most impressive about this inquest is the way that Elizabeth Armitage has run her courtroom. It's been one of the most inclusive and informal processes that I've seen. For instance, the Colonial opened with a Walbury interpreter sitting next to Liby Armitage on the bench and interpreting everything that she said. So from the beginning, Wolbury language and law and culture were sort of placed the same level as the most
senior Western legal person in the room. And those singular acts of sort of rebellion against the way that things have always been and taking the risk of making a change like that, that risk being taken by someone in a position of power. I think maybe that's the kind of thing that is going to bring the sorts of change that we all want to see but don't necessarily believe can come just from a single report.
And so why has it taken so long for this report to be handed down?
So the coronials started in September twenty twenty two, about six months after Rolf's trial finished, and he was acquitted. Almost immediately, Zachary Rolf's legal team started making objections to the kind of evidence that he should be made to give, so having to give evidence about racism within the Northern
Territory Police Force. Rolph objected to giving evidence about his use of force, history, about his record in the military, about text messages that were found on his phone, and about his disciplinary history in the Northern Churchill Police and those legal appeals are far and away the biggest reason for delays for it going from what should have been a few months to almost three years.
So let's go to what the coroner found. When Judge Armaitich read out her reports, she said that having considered all the evidence, including mister Rolf's explanations and justifications, that she found that mister Rolf was racist.
While it is not possible for me to say with certainty that mister Rolf's racist attitudes were operative in his decisions on nine November, or were a contributing cause of Kumanjai's death, I cannot exclude that possibility.
And so we want to say that racism may have been a contributing cause of Kumanjai Walker's death in so far as it may have influenced his actions that night. That is something the Walker family have maintained to be the case. How significant is a finding like that from the coroner.
I think it's signal. I don't think to anyone who has been in the territory or following this inquest closely that it would have been a surprise. It may have been a surprise that the coroner stated it so clearly.
I think what was more of a surprise was that Judge Armitage expanded the scope and the influence of racism to the police force more generally as well, to say that, yes, definitely Zachary rolf was racist, and his attitudes and his beliefs would have influenced his approach to that night and could have been a fact during commen Joe Walker's death, but also that some of the responsibility for that lay with the Northern Territory of Police Force, which was an
organization that showed the hallmarks of institutional racism, and that because there were senior members within the police force who were responsible for Zachary rolfan who were sort of colluding with him in his behavior and encouraging him in it, he was left immune to any kind of censure. He was sort of encouraged to keep going. No one ever told him that what he was doing was not okay.
In disturbing evidence. On at least five occasions, mister Rolf recorded on his phone body worn footage of his forceful arrests of Aboriginal men. He replayed the body worn video to colleagues and forwarded the phone footage to family and friends. It is clear that a significant motivation for doing this was because he was proud of, was boasting about and wished to be celebrated for his physical feats of tactical
skill or ability. He thought that using force against arrest targets and causing them serious injury was funny.
And how do you think that the Northern Territory police forces grappling with the need to reform itself.
I think that's been one of the most interesting things for me to watch over the sort of now almost six years since Kimunjay Walker's death. It was really evident during Zachary ROV's murder trial that there was a sort of internal battle going on within the Northern Territory Police Force for who would rule the culture, and it was a battle between you know what have known up here
as bush cops and town cops. They're really loose terms, but bush cops, you know, people who work out in remote communities and are much more focused on community policing, which is based on relationships and de escalation. They still face some really dangerous situations, you know, often in really
isolated settings. But it's a much more humanistic approach, I would guess you could say, whereas the loose term town cops, which really in this instance sort of refers to Zachary Rolf's style of policing of sort of cowboy Rambo where the tough guys were dominating sort of culture. There's been a battle between those two groups since Kimunji Walker's death to see who will gain the uphand within the Northern Territory Police Force, the coroner certainly in her findings has
supported the bush cop culture. The Northern Church of the Police Force executive has come out and said that that is definitely the kind of culture that they want to promote and that they want to be known for as a Northern Church of police officers. But they have a real fight on their hands because that's not how all frontline police officers want a police.
After the break, the change come and die Walker's family is calling for. Today is not a very.
It's not a really a happy day for us. It's another sad day.
So Kate. When Zachary Rolf was ac quitted of Kamanjie Walker's murder, his grandfather need Japan. Jin Hardgraves called for a band and all guns in Aboriginal communities.
No guns, no guns in a row remote community.
W I want no guns.
Enough is enough.
There are several other calls that have come from the Uindomu community. They want an independent police, armbudsman, self determination, investment and alternatives to prison. What hope do you think the family has now that this inquest has finished and the report has been handed down, will it get them closest to any of those outcomes?
I mean, one of the strongest findings that the coroner made was that the Northern Terati of Police should work with the Undabout leadership to work out the circumstances in which police don't carry guns in community.
I've recommended that the anti police engaged directly with the leadership groups to develop mutual respect agreements, including when it would be appropriate for police not to carry firearms in community. And I've made other recommendations concerning the use of long arm weapons.
So certainly they've been supported by the coroner in that desire for sort of more self determination, no guns in remote communities.
I've made recommendations on recruit training and cultural inductions. Specifically, I have recommended that the circumstances of Cooman Jay's death be incorporated in training on officer induced jeopardy to NT health in an effort to both prevent and address trauma experience by young people like cumen Jay. I have recommended a strengthening of its developmental screening programs for children under five years to strengthen relationships and the cultural competency of clinics.
I have recommended that work be done with the local health advisory groups and other community groups. And I have recommended a strategy be developed for the delivery of sustainable mental health services in Central Australia Australia, including a new DEMOU.
But I guess the community is at the mercy of powers greater than them, governments willingness to support change, to fund change. I think there's a level of cynicism and resignation that all of this paperwork and all of this talking happens and then that's the end of it. So I think a lot of people don't have a lot of expectations, But I think there's reason to have hope that at least a position like the Coroners is very much in support of what the community has asked for.
I think there's an extra layer of grief at the moment because there's been another death in custody of a young wildpri man quite recently, and that sort of on its own has opened up a lot of old wounds. But sitting listening to the coroner reader some of her recommendations and findings yesterday, in which she also went back through quite a few of the details of Kumanchized actual death, I think those wounds were really reopened again in a very visceral sort of way to.
Kuman Jay's family and to the community of Yundmu. I am sorry for your profound loss. I now hand down my findings. There was no reaction from people when the coroner finished speaking at the end of about forty five minutes of a presentation, and people just sort of melted away reasonably quickly, and the space was left kind of kind of empty.
It's been almost thirty years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths incusody, and we've known so much about these issues for decades. Kate and governments have really set on recommendations to fix this. But it's been a long long time and it keeps happening. So do you believe that there will be a case or a report that finally makes governments act.
No, I don't. I don't think reports. I mean I think they're worthwhile. I think what the coroner has produced is a slab of history and a story that bears witness to one of the latest chapters in the Northern Territory's history of relationships between First Nations people and the police. But you know, there are supermarket trolleys full of reports all over the country into things like this, and none of them have managed to make the change that are necessary.
I don't know what will make that change other than continued pressure from the broader community on the political system. It feels like a really lay answer, But I don't know that anyone has the answer to what will make the change happen, otherwise we'd be doing it.
And in terms of that idea of the community placing pressure on government tact, what told does that take on a family to have to do that over years and years.
Enormous It's an enormous toll. But that's a toll that First Nations people around the country. And I would say, in my experience, particularly in remote communities carry every day. The lives of people in U and Demu are political every single day, and so they are constantly carrying that weight that their lives are controlled hemmed in by laws and regulations and decisions that they don't have any part
in and they don't have any power over. And so fighting against that is a part of daily life for people in remote communities and it takes an enormous toll.
Kate, thank you for talking to me today.
It's a pleasure.
Kate Wilde's book about the life and death of common Joe Walker is called The Red House. It will be out soon. Also in the news, the Reserve Bank has to fight expectations of a rate cut, instead holding the cash trade at three point eight five percent. According to a post meeting statement from the RBA Board, the decision was made by majority, with six in favor and three against the decision. The bank had been widely tipped to
cartingteri'st rates following a slowing of inflation. The board will meet again in August, and Alan Jones's lawyer has told to Sydney Court that he holds grave concerns about the legality of a surge police conducted on the broadcaster's phone. Alan Jones has been charged with thirty five sexual offenses involving the indecent assault, groping and inappropriate touching of several
young men. He has denied the allegations. Jones is on bail and was not required to appear in court, but his lawyer, Brian Ranch said they have lodged a legal complaint over the phone search. I'm Daniel James. This is seven AM Tomorrow. Ruby sits down with Antoinette Latouffe to talk about her win against the ABC and what it says about how decisions are made at the public broadcaster.
I think audiences are rightly skeptical and if the ABC wants to remain relevant and trusted as the most trusted news source in the world, it needs to show that it can withstand lobbying of any form.
Thanks for listening. Yes,