NT coroner makes 32 recommendations after inquest into death of Kumanjayi Walker
NT coroner Elisabeth Armitage has now handed down her findings after the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker.
She said she has made 32 recommendations. Among them are recommendations for additional engagement with and supports for Yuendumu night patrol, youth services, disability services, mediators and rehabilitation programs.
She recommended NT Police’s management of internal complaints and internal investigations be addressed and that the NT police engage directly with the Yuendumu leadership groups to develop mutual respect agreements, including when it would be appropriate for police not to carry firearms in the community.
Armitage also made other recommendations concerning the use of long-arm weapons and on recruitment, training and cultural inductions.
“To NT Health, in an effort to both prevent and address trauma experienced by young people like Kumanjayi, I have recommended a strengthening of its developmental screening programs for children under five years,” she said.
Specifically I have recommended that the circumstances of Kumanjayi’s death be incorporated in training on officer-induced jeopardy.
Key events
Horse owners have been urged to vaccinate their horses after a horse in south-east Queensland died from Hendra virus.
Biosecurity Queensland said it received positive test results from the horse on 4 July 2025 and that horse died on the property after its condition rapidly deteriorated.
It is the state’s first case of Hendra virus since 2022.
The agency said the horse was unvaccinated and that its officers were working with the horse owners to ensure the risk is contained on the property.
“Biosecurity Queensland officers are also working with Queensland Health in relation to humans who may have had contact with the infected horse so their experts can manage the health of people involved,” the agency said in a statement.
The vaccination of horses is the most effective way to help manage Hendra virus disease, it said, adding that if a horse becomes sick, owners should contact their veterinarian immediately.
In a separate statement, Racing Queensland joined Biosecurity Queensland in encouraging owners to vaccinate their horses.
It warned signs of Hendra virus infection can be non-specific in the early stages and that horses may become infectious before appearing unwell.
Cait Kelly
Acoss on robodebt: ‘particularly concerning that no individuals involved have been properly held to account’
Charmaine Crowe, Acoss program director of social security, said that “while the government has made some positive steps to improve social security administration in light of the royal commission, including implementing an advocates channel and strengthening the ombudsman’s powers, there remains a lot more work to do.”
It is particularly concerning that no individuals involved have been properly held to account for the enormous injustice inflicted on hundreds of thousands of innocent people.
These reforms are vital to improving our social security system and ensuring that nothing like robodebt can ever happen again.
We urge the government to take swift action to address these ongoing problems, particularly in light of other failures to properly administer the system, like the targeted compliance framework, where people have had their payments wrongly cancelled.
Cait Kelly
Accos calls for adoption of remaining robodebt recommendations
Two years on from the findings of the robodebt royal commission, the federal government has still not implemented all of its recommendations, the Australian Council of Social Service has said.
Acoss is calling on the federal government to adopt the remaining recommendations of the royal commission, including:
-
Legislating a statute of limitations on debt recovery – a key recommendation that remains unaddressed.
-
Refraining from recovering debts under review – the default position is to continue recovery even when a debt is under review, rather than pausing automatically. A person can request a pause to debt recovery if it is under review.
-
Clarifying protections for people in vulnerable circumstances – it’s still unclear how people in severe hardship are systematically shielded from compliance actions that could worsen their situation.
-
Introducing a duty of care – the government still has no formal obligation to ensure people are receiving the correct payment for their personal circumstances.
Amanda Meade
SBS chair George Savvides steps down
The federal government is looking for a new chair for SBS following the departure of George Savvides AM, who is stepping down after eight years on the multicultural broadcaster’s board.
Savvides joined the SBS board as deputy chair in 2017 and has been chair since 2020.
A former Medibank chief executive, Savvides was born of Greek Cypriot parents.
Savvides described his time as chair of SBS, concluding with the broadcaster’s 50th anniversary year, as “one of the greatest privileges of my professional life”.
SBS broadcasts in 60 languages across multiple platforms.
SBS managing director James Taylor said:
I’d like to congratulate George, on behalf of the board and the organisation, for the immense contribution he has made to SBS over the last eight years. From the very beginning, he saw the potential and responsibility of SBS – not just to be a broadcaster, but to be a builder of trust, identity, and inclusion in this country.
NT coroner makes 32 recommendations after inquest into death of Kumanjayi Walker
NT coroner Elisabeth Armitage has now handed down her findings after the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker.
She said she has made 32 recommendations. Among them are recommendations for additional engagement with and supports for Yuendumu night patrol, youth services, disability services, mediators and rehabilitation programs.
She recommended NT Police’s management of internal complaints and internal investigations be addressed and that the NT police engage directly with the Yuendumu leadership groups to develop mutual respect agreements, including when it would be appropriate for police not to carry firearms in the community.
Armitage also made other recommendations concerning the use of long-arm weapons and on recruitment, training and cultural inductions.
“To NT Health, in an effort to both prevent and address trauma experienced by young people like Kumanjayi, I have recommended a strengthening of its developmental screening programs for children under five years,” she said.
Specifically I have recommended that the circumstances of Kumanjayi’s death be incorporated in training on officer-induced jeopardy.
NT coroner says dragging of Walker after he was shot ‘should not have happened’
NT coroner Elisabeth Armitage’s findings into the death of Kumanjayi Walker address the immediate aftermath of his shooting, she said moments ago.
Understandably, members of Kumanjayi’s family were extremely upset after he was shot. Police dragged him to one of the police vehicles. This was the last time his family saw Kumanjayi alive.
She said she heard in the inquest that immediate response police “explained that they did not mean any disrespect in dragging Kumanjayi, and they did so for safety reasons and to render first aid”.
However, dragging is a disrespectful act. It should not have happened.
NT coroner: Walker’s death was ‘avoidable, although in some significant respects the failures were institutional’
Elisabeth Armitage says Kumanjay Walker’s death in Yuendumu on 9 November 2019 “was avoidable, although in some significant respects, the failures were institutional”.
I share the view expressed by the use of force experts and several highly experienced senior police officers who said that this was a case of ‘officer induced jeopardy’, an expression that describes situations where officers needlessly put themselves in danger, making themselves and others vulnerable and creating a situation that justifies the use of deadly force.
She said that Mr Rolfe, “a very junior officer, made a series of flawed decisions that significantly increased the increased the risk of a fatal interaction with a member of the public” and “did not prioritise safety in the arrest of a vulnerable teenager”.
She said an “ops plan” – planning a careful arrest of Walker, who had a history of trauma and poor impulse control – drafted by Sergeant Frost from Yuendumu police station and approved by a superintendent was “ignored” Mr Rolfe.
Mr Rolfe was aware of the written arrest plan, since he and his … colleague … were provided a copy when they arrived at Yuendumu and were briefed on it by Sergeant Frost – but Mr Rolfe ignored the plan.
Mr Rolfe thought he knew better than Sergeant Frost, a female bush cop. He thought he was fitter and faster than bush cops.
NT coroner says Rolfe ‘had a tendency to seek out situations in which force would be necessary’
Coroner Elisabeth Armitage says there “were instances where [Zachary] Rolfe used force without proper regard for the risk of injury to persons, all of whom were Aboriginal boys or men” and that he prioritised “a show of force over potential peaceful resolutions”.
Mr Rolfe had a tendency to rush into situations to get his man without regard for his and others safety and in disregard of his training.
He had a tendency to seek out situations in which force would be necessary, because he found combat situations exhilarating and had an interest in adrenaline-style policing.
She said Rolfe disturbed evidence and on “at least five occasions” recorded 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.
NT coroner finds police officer Zachary Rolfe ‘was racist’
Elisabeth Armitage says she is “comfortably satisfied that racist language was normalised within the Alice Springs police station during Mr Rolfe’s time there as a police officer.”
His racist messages were not mere aberrations. They were at least in part reflective of a work culture that tolerated racism.
Having considered all the evidence, including Mr Rolfe’s explanations and justifications, I found that Mr Rolfe was racist and that he worked in, and was the beneficiary of, an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism.
I am satisfied that there is a significant risk that his racism, in combination with some of his other attitudes and values, affected his interactions with the community of Yuendumu on 9 November 2019, his entry into their houses and his perception of and response to the young Aboriginal man he shot and killed in a way that increased the likelihood of a fatal outcome.
Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
NT coroner acknowledges Rolfe’s ‘stressful period’ but also evidence of ‘attitudes that reflect poorly on him’
Coroner Elisabeth Armitage has acknowledged the “stressful period” junior police officer Zachary Rolfe has been through since the death of Kumanjayi Walker, as well as his relentless – and difficult and traumatic – workload.
“Nevertheless, I received a substantial body of evidence that plainly reveals examples of Mr Rolfe’s conduct, including dishonesty and attitudes that reflect very poorly on him,” she said.
I heard evidence about some of Mr Rolfe’s attitudes that may have influenced why he made decisions to enter house 511, and conduct the flawed arrest on Kumanjayi in the manner that he did.
Mr Rolfe’s text messages provided evidence of his derisive attitudes to female colleagues and some superiors, his frustration or contempt for more senior officers who had not earned his respect, his attraction to high adrenaline policing and his contempt for bush cops or remote policing – all of which had the potential to increase the likelihood of a fatal encounter with Kumanjayi, for reasons outlined in my findings, I am comfortably satisfied that these unsavoury views and attitudes were consciously or unconsciously embedded in the decisions Mr Rolfe made on 9 November 2019.
NT coroner hopes findings ‘will help to prevent a similar tragedy’
Elisabeth Armitage says it is her “sincere hope that the handing down of these findings will help to prevent a similar tragedy” to that of 9 November 2019.
Nothing in the findings should be taken to mean that I think that police are not entitled to lawfully defend themselves against serious attacks. An important aim of these findings, however, is to make recommendations that reduce the risk of attacks upon police who perform a vital role in our community.
Although much of this inquest reviewed formal documents, policies and the actions of others, I never lost sight of the fact that I was inquiring into the death of a person who lived, was loved, is missed and mourned. While family members accept his frailties and vulnerabilities, they urge me to remember him from his humanity and to acknowledge the whole person they have lost.
She says that in her findings, she has “set out in some detail the family history for Kumanjayi, including some of the challenges he had growing up”, including being exposed to alcohol when in utero, his substance abuse from about the age of 13 and his time in juvenile detention.
NT coroner: ‘Kumanjayi’s passing is a tragedy for him and those who knew and loved him’
Elisabeth Armitage has begun reading her findings from the inquest into Kumanjayi Walker’s death.
“Kumanjayi’s passing is a tragedy for him and those who knew and loved him in this community,” the coroner has just said.
I am very sorry for your loss, and condolences have been expressed by the agencies who were represented at the inquest and many individual witnesses who were deeply affected by his passing.
Today, I again acknowledge your pain and sorrow and pay my respects to all those who grieve him.
Evidence in this inquest has been distressing to hear, particularly for those who loved Kumanjayi. I acknowledge that participating in these proceedings has taken a toll on Kumanjayi’s family and this community.
I appreciate the gracious way his family and all of you gave evidence, listened, bore witness and patiently awaited these findings into Kumanjayi’s death and these proceedings have also had a profound impact on many people connected with the events of the day – that includes police witnesses, Mr Rolfe and his family, cleaning staff and other service providers.
I acknowledge that it has been hard for many of you, and that the receipt of these findings may also cause distress.
• Indigenous Australians can call 13YARN on 13 92 76 for information and crisis support; or call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Mensline on 1300 789 978 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
NT coroner arrives at court to deliver Kumanjayi Walker inquest findings
As we await the findings from the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, all eyes are on Yuendumu. Here’s NT coroner Elisabeth Armitage arriving a short time ago.
Hello readers, I’m Daisy Dumas and I’ll be leading the rest of the day’s live news coverage. Thank you for your excellent blogging this morning, Jordyn Beazley.
0 Comments