Family hopes for change as inquest draws to an end
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SBS Australia
6 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
SBS News In Easy English 7 July 2025
Welcome to SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat. The final report of a coronial inquest is due to be handed down five years after Warlpiri man Kumanjayi Walker died during a bungled arrest in the Northern Territory. The 19-year-old was shot three times at close range by then-constable Zachary Rolfe at a home in the Northern Territory town of Yuendumu, in November 2019. Speaking ahead of the delivery of the coroner's report, the family of Kumanjayi Walker say Northern Territory Police must be held accountable. Mr Walker's cousin, Samara Fernandez-Brown, says the inquest has been a gruelling, shocking and devastating process for family and the community - and they are seeking justice. Listeners seeking support can contact the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders crisis support line on 13YARN - that's 13 92 76 - or Lifeline on 13 11 14. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says the state government's new anti-hate taskforce will aim to put a stop to hateful behaviour, after a spate of antisemitic attacks over the weekend. Twenty people were forced to flee the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, after a man allegedly poured flammable liquid on the front door and set it on fire during a Shabbat meal. A 34-year-old man from Sydney has been charged over the incident, briefly appearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sunday. He has been remanded in custody until later this month. Police are investigating a number of other incidents over the weekend in Melbourne, as Premier Allan says her government will work with the Jewish community and the police force to put a stop to this behaviour. "I'll continue to stand with a strong, proud Jewish community here in Victoria every single day. Every single day. They're a big and important part of our community. They demand our support at this most difficult time. They demand our action, which is why alongside Strengthening Laws the response of Victoria Police. We will continue to work to build a stronger place where everyone can be who they are, practice their faith safe, free from hate." Premier Allan says the government are also focusing on strengthening mental health support services for the community, in response to these incidents. Health advocates are calling for the federal government to fund a national registry and strategy to help Australians living with Motor Neurone Disease or MND. It's estimated that it affects about one in 10,000 people with about 2,700 people in the country battling the degenerative condition, which robs individuals of the ability to walk, talk, swallow, and eventually breathe. The average life expectancy for a person diagnosed with MND is between two to three years. The CEO of MND Australia, Clare Sullivan, says a data registry - costed at $12 million - is needed to know the extent of the illness nationwide and target specific support to affected patients. "Lack of centralised data hinders care, delays research; weakens policy and funding decisions. A national registry would improve patient care, accelerate clinical trials, enable better treatment planning; and support targeted timely research. People living with MND deserve better. Better access, better data and better support. Time is something the MND community simply does not have." In cycling, the Netherlands' Mathieu van der Poel has won stage two of the Tour de France - the longest stage of the Tour at 209.1 kilometres. The Dutch rider also took the lead in the overall standings after depriving Tadej Pogacar of his 100th career win in a tense hilltop finale. Van der Poel says it was a gruelling stage. "Yeah, it was super difficult. The final was actually harder than I thought. I was really motivated. Finally been four years I think since I won my first stage on the Tour de France so it was about time I won a second one."
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Cop who shot Indigenous teen ‘racist': coroner
WARNING: This story contains the name and image of an Indigenous person who has died. An Alice Springs constable who fatally shot an Indigenous teenager in 2019 was racist and worked in a racist police station, the coroner says. Coroner Elisabeth Armitage has spent three years investigating the life of Kumanjayi Walker and the events surrounding the 19-year-old's death. Constable Zachary Rolfe shot Mr Walker after the officer was stabbed. The coroner presented her findings to the community of Yuendumu, 300km northwest of Alice Springs, on Monday, '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,' Ms Armitage said. Kumanjayi Walker died aged 19 in the remote Indigenous community of Yuendumu. Credit: Supplied '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. 'While it was not possible for me to say with certainty that Mr Rolfe's racist attitudes were operative in his decisions on 9 November or were a contributing cause of Kumanjayi's death, I cannot exclude that possibility.' Mr Walker was fatally shot by the then NT police constable during an attempted arrest at Yuendumu in 2019. Mr Walker stabbed the constable in the shoulder with a pair of scissors; Mr Rolfe shot Mr Walker three times. Mr Rolfe was acquitted by a jury of murder, manslaughter, and engaging in a violent act causing death in the NT Supreme Court in 2022. Mr Rolfe then publicly criticised the NT Police Force and the Coroner's Court and was sacked from the police. Zach Rolfe was acquitted at a criminal trial. Jason Walls Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Walker died in custody, so a mandatory coronial inquest was undertaken. The inquiry ran for 66 hearing days, with 70 witnesses, during the course of three years. The inquest has revealed evidence of systemic racism within the NT Police, sparked an ICAC investigation into the Territory Response Group, an NT police internal anti-racism review, and an apology from the then NT Police Commissioner to Aboriginal Territorians. The release of the coroner's report was delayed following the death in custody of another Yuendumu man, Kumanjayi White, 24, inside a Coles in Alice Springs. More to come
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘Racist': Long-awaited coroner's report released in police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker
WARNING: This story contains the name and image of an Indigenous person who has died. An Alice Springs constable who fatally shot an Indigenous teenager in 2019 was racist and worked in a racist police station, the coroner says. Coroner Elisabeth Armitage has spent three years investigating the life of Kumanjayi Walker and the events surrounding the 19-year-old's death. Constable Zachary Rolfe shot Mr Walker after the officer was stabbed. The coroner presented her findings to the community of Yuendumu, 300km northwest of Alice Springs, on Monday, '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,' Ms Armitage said. '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. 'While it was not possible for me to say with certainty that Mr Rolfe's racist attitudes were operative in his decisions on 9 November or were a contributing cause of Kumanjayi's death, I cannot exclude that possibility.' Mr Walker was fatally shot by the then NT police constable during an attempted arrest at Yuendumu in 2019. Mr Walker stabbed the constable in the shoulder with a pair of scissors; Mr Rolfe shot Mr Walker three times. Mr Rolfe was acquitted by a jury of murder, manslaughter, and engaging in a violent act causing death in the NT Supreme Court in 2022. Mr Rolfe then publicly criticised the NT Police Force and the Coroner's Court and was sacked from the police. Mr Walker died in custody, so a mandatory coronial inquest was undertaken. The inquiry ran for 66 hearing days, with 70 witnesses, during the course of three years. The inquest has revealed evidence of systemic racism within the NT Police, sparked an ICAC investigation into the Territory Response Group, an NT police internal anti-racism review, and an apology from the then NT Police Commissioner to Aboriginal Territorians. The release of the coroner's report was delayed following the death in custody of another Yuendumu man, Kumanjayi White, 24, inside a Coles in Alice Springs.
