‘We won't give up': Kumanjayi White's family hold vigil demanding independent investigation
The lawns of the Alice Springs courthouse have once again become a scene of grief and rage, amid calls for an 'emergency intervention' following two Aboriginal deaths in custody in the Northern Territory in as many weeks.
The family of 24-year-old Kumanjayi White, a Warlpiri man with disabilities who died after being restrained by police at a supermarket last month, held a vigil on Wednesday, reiterating their demands for an independent investigation, the release of CCTV footage, and for the officers involved to be stood down while the investigation proceeds. It was their third vigil since he died.
'Hear us when we say: we won't give up,' the man's grandfather, Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, told the crowd.
'We will fight for justice for our loved one. We will fight for justice for all yapa (Indigenous people) who have died in custody. Every single one.'
Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email
As hundreds rallied across the nation in solidarity with the Warlpiri community on Saturday, another Aboriginal man died in custody in Darwin.
The 68-year-old from the remote community of Wadeye died in the ICU at Darwin hospital about a week after Australian federal police arrested him, following reports he was 'intoxicated' and unable to board a flight out of Darwin. Northern Territory police said the cause of death was undetermined, pending a postmortem examination.
He has been remembered as a senior elder who lobbied for bilingual schooling and better education funding for his community.
One of the country's largest legal organisations, the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, has since called for the federal government to stage an 'emergency intervention'.
The organisation's acting chief executive, Anthony Beven, told the ABC the government should hold a forum with First Nations leaders and federal and NT authorities to address the effects of the punitive justice measures enacted by the CLP government.
Sign up to Breaking News Australia
Get the most important news as it breaks
after newsletter promotion
Asked about the request at the National Press Club on Tuesday, the prime minister said he would 'need to be convinced that people in Canberra know better than the people in the Northern Territory to deal with these issues'.
Meanwhile in the NT, police responded to persistent calls for Kumanjayi White's death to be investigated by an independent body.
'The Police Administration Act establishes the Northern Territory police force for the purpose of preventing, investigating and detecting crime, so that's not something we can just hand to somebody else,' the acting commissioner, Martin Dole, said on Tuesday.
Warlpiri leader Karl Hampton, a spokesperson for White's family, said the response was 'just an excuse'.
'In terms of legislation, that can be amended,' he said. 'But my concern is that we see the territory at the moment in a flux, almost to the point of a crisis … the systems are broken in the Northern Territory.'
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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump to review Aukus nuclear submarine pact with Australia and UK
The US is reviewing the Aukus nuclear submarine deal with the UK and Australia to assess whether it aligns with Donald Trump 's 'America First' agenda, casting doubt on the trilateral agreement aimed at countering China. A Pentagon official said the 2021 deal was being reviewed to ensure it 'aligned with the president's America First agenda' ahead of his talks with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese at the upcoming G7 summit in Canada. The £176bn Aukus agreement involving Australia, the US and the UK is a strategic security partnership aimed primarily at helping Australia acquire nuclear submarines using American and British technology, marking a major advancement in the country's military capabilities. Australian defence minister Richard Marles said on Thursday Canberra was confident the pact would proceed and that their government would closely work with the Trump administration. 'I am very confident this is going to happen,' he told ABC News, adding that Aukus was in the strategic interests of all three countries. He claimed that a review of the deal signed under former US president Joe Biden was not a surprise. 'This is a multi-decade plan,' he said. 'There will be governments that come and go, and I think whenever we see a new government a review of this kind is going to be something which will be undertaken.' The statement came after media reports said the US was reviewing its commitment to the pact. It was first reported by the Financial Times, citing six people familiar with the matter. 'The department is reviewing Aukus as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the president's 'America first' agenda,' a Pentagon official was quoted as saying. 'This means ensuring the highest readiness of our service members, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defence and that the defence industrial base is meeting our needs.' The Pentagon's top policy adviser, Elbridge Colby, who has previously raised concerns that the US could lose submarines to Australia at a critical time for military deterrence against China, will be a key figure in the review, examining the production rate of Virginia-class submarines, Mr Marles confirmed. Australia and the UK have both faced pressure from the White House to increase their military spending. While the UK has heeded the demand, Australia has resisted it. Mr Albanese is expected to meet Mr Trump for the first time next week on the sidelines of the G7 meeting. They are likely to discuss Washington's demand that Australia increase its defence spending from 2 to 3.5 per cent of its GDP. Mr Albanese has said Australia's defence spending will rise to 2.3 per cent but has declined to commit to America's target. The possibility of the deal collapsing has caused anxiety in London and Canberra but has been met with cheers in Beijing, experts said. John Lee, an Indo-Pacific expert at Washington's conservative Hudson Institute think tank, said the Pentagon review was 'primarily an audit of American capability' and whether it could afford to sell up to five nuclear submarines when it wasn't meeting its own production targets. 'Relatedly, the low Australian defence spending and ambiguity as to how it might contribute to a Taiwan contingency is also a factor,' Mr Lee said. John Hamre, president of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies and a former senior Pentagon official, told a Lowy Institute seminar in Sydney on Thursday there was a perception in Washington that 'the Albanese government has been supportive of Aukus but not really leaning in on Aukus ', with defence spending being part of this.
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Heartbroken mum reveals Pheobe's secret DISABILITY - as she hits back at the local whispering campaign that threatens to destroy her livelihood
The mother of Pheobe Bishop has revealed her daughter lived with a disability, and slammed local rumours she will shut down her NDIS-registered business. Pheobe, 17, went missing near Queensland's Bundaberg Airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to WA to visit her boyfriend. Last Friday, officers discovered the teenager's remains near Goodnight Scrub National Park. The teen's housemates, James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33, have been charged with her murder, three weeks after she missed her flight and vanished. Police allege they moved her body more than once. Daily Mail Australia earlier revealed that Bromley was employed by Pheobe's mum as a support worker, until she was made redundant from her role last year. This week rumours have circulated in the Gin Gin community that Pheobe was an NDIS recipient through her mother's company. Claims also emerged that Smiley's Support Services, the business run by Pheobe's mum Kylie Johnson, was 'unregistered' with NDIS. However, NDIS records show that Smiley's has approved registration status and is in force until it's up for renewal in February 2026. Ms Johnson took to social media on Thursday to hit back at the allegations. 'We've heard a few rumours about ourselves lately, however, we'd like to assure you all that Smiley's has NO intention of closing,' she wrote, adding that the business was 'continuing as usual'. Ms Johnson implied the rumours had come from other NDIS providers in the area. 'Imagine people from your own industry using this tragedy to benefit themselves?' she wrote. 'After 23 years of working between the disability and aged care sector I'm actually pretty disappointed. 'My journey started as a carer, cleaner and worked in dementia specific units and aged care homes. I've worked and studied for the last 23 years to be professionally where I am today. 'My company was established at the same time our NDIS registration was applied for. We were approved for all levels of support that we provide.' Ms Johnson mentioned that 'our last audit in June 2024 was completed as per the NDIS Guidelines'. 'This means we had meet the significant NDIS industry standards which we did with beautiful feedback,' she added. 'This has given my staff a high level of confidence and transparency in their service delivery. 'Team Smiley's won't let the bullies and trolls WIN and even though I'm not there at the moment, this company has an amazing team that continues to go above and beyond for everyone. 'Your disability only defines you if you allow it to and Phee never let hers define her.' Ms Johnson did not specify what Pheobe's disability was. However, before she disappeared, the teen had shared a post to TikTok about bipolar disorder. 'Having a partner with bpd means... getting blocked or left over small incidents... they will say very harsh things they don't mean when having an episode,' the post said, apparently in an attempt to explain her sometimes unpredictable behaviour. Ms Johnson previously said Pheobe 'didn't fit the mainstream school model' and struggled with her education until she was enrolled at the alternative Y School in Bundaberg. Pheobe's final posts to social media suggested the troubled teen had fallen out with her mother and would not return home. She also claimed in text messages to her aunt, Caz Johnson, that her mum had told her to 'get out'. The rubbish-strewn flat where she lived with Wood and Bromley was just down the road from her mother's business. Prior to registering Smiley's Support Services in 2021, Ms Johnson ran another Queensland business called Butterfly Spiritual Healing and Massage from 2015 to 2017, ABN records show. The business offered services such as reiki healing and aura cleansing. NDIS declined to comment when asked if Pheobe was a care recipient, citing privacy reasons. Support workers are potentially subject to a range of requirements prior to employment, such as working with children checks and police checks. Pheobe's cousin Whitney Woodfield replied to Ms Johnson's post, adding: 'These rumours are utterly ridiculous. 'The things this company has done for the community is incredible 'Phee would never've been okay if they were taken down over this. Proud of you for standing your ground.' Neither Wood nor Bromley appeared in court when Pheobe's alleged murder was mentioned in Bundaberg Magistrates Court last Friday. They have not entered pleas and have now been sent to jail on remand -after previously being being in police custody for several days after they were charged. Wood is now being held at Brisbane Correctional Centre, and with Bromley in Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre.
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Laura Tingle's replacement on 7.30 officially announced as surprise pick is slated to take the coveted gig
The man set to replace Laura Tingle on ABC's current affairs program 7.30 has been officially announced. ABC political correspondent Jacob Greber will step into the coveted role of political correspondent, after rumours swirled for weeks that the journalist was the surprise pick for the gig. The announcement was made by 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson during Thursday night's show. 'I'd like to introduce my next guest, who is not really a guest at all. With an almost 30-year career in journalism covering politics, economics, and world affairs – all the things that we want,' Ferguson said. 'He's been a foreign correspondent as well and got a start working as a copy boy in the Canberra Press Gallery. You can't beat that.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Greber, who joined the ABC less than a year ago amid a lauded career in journalism, will step into the role from July 7. 'It's an incredible time to join 7.30 with Sarah Ferguson and the team. Our audience rightly demands clarity and insight about the people who govern us and the challenges we face as a nation,' Greber said. 'I also salute Laura Tingle – an absolute class act and fearless force of nature. I'm humbled and thrilled to pick up where she's left off.' Greber will fill the gap left when Tingle announced earlier this month she would replace John Lyons as the broadcaster's outgoing global affairs editor. Earlier rumblings suggested the role might have gone to any number of Canberra bureau insiders including chief David Lipson, national affairs editor Melissa Clark and Insiders host David Speers. Q+A host Patricia Karvelas and ABC Radio Melbourne host Raf Epstein ruled themselves out of the running when contacted by the Herald. Tingle, a double Walkley-Award-winning political journalist, will start new position mid-year while Lyons packs up to become the ABC's Americas editor. Among the nation's best respected political journalists with more than 40 years experience including six years in her latest post, Tingle leaves big shoes to fill. 'The job was advertised, and I applied for it,' Tingle told The Australian last week. 'It's the best job in journalism, I reckon, other than the one I have already got.' A fellow Financial Review alum, Tingle will spend the next two years travelling the world reporting on events 'that also shape our nation'. Despite publicly advertising its shift away from television towards digital, the flagship promise of former managing director David Anderson's five-year-plan, 7.30 remains the jewel in the broadcaster's crown. Presented by former Four Corners host Sarah Ferguson, the program boasted an average nightly viewership of 756,000 in the 2023-24 financial year according to ABC's annual reporting. A dip from Covid-era highs of the three previous fiscal years, the program nonetheless retained its popularity, despite fears of a fallout following the 2022 departure of the inaugural presenter Leigh Sales. Despite being lesser known than Karvelas or Speers, Greber would bring decades of broadcast and print experience and some cachet as a reliable face on News Breakfast, Insiders, Afternoon Briefing, Weekend Breakfast and, of course, 7.30. The more front-facing role brings with it a greater possibility for controversy of the brand Tingle has found herself mired in in recent years. Last year, she was accused of dropping the veil of journalistic impartiality when she accused then Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of stoking racism by raising immigration caps as a possible salve for the housing crisis. She said Mr Dutton's rhetoric had sent a 'terrible chill running through me' before, at the same Sydney Writers Festival event, describing Australia as 'a racist country'. ABC news director Justin Stevens later said Tingle's comments, albeit not made in a work capacity, had prompted the broadcaster to remind her of the 'application' of her 'conversational' rhetoric to 'external events'. Before Tingle's six-year stint on 7.30, the coveted role was something of a hot potato having passed through the hands of four presenters in the six years between 2012 and 2018. She replaced Andrew Probyn who was more recently made redundant as the broadcaster's political editor in 2023. Internal ABC documents reportedly said the move was part of a calculated efforts to reform the Canberra bureau's 'outdated, top-heavy structure still largely focused on linear television broadcast'. Greber's appointment to the newly-minted role of chief digital political correspondent was widely considered a de facto planting of the flag in the broadcaster's 'digital-first' strategy.
