The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Katie Kiss, has urged sweeping reform of policing and justice systems following the Northern Territory coroner’s findings into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, describing the conclusions as a painful but powerful reminder of ongoing injustices faced by First Peoples.
Walker, 19, from Yuendumu north-west of Alice Springs, was shot dead by a Northern Territory police officer during an attempted arrest in 2019. The officer was found not guilty of all charges related to the death in 2022.
In a 600-page report, Coroner Elisabeth Armitage condemned “grotesque examples of racism” that were “normalised” within NT Police, and described Walker’s death as “avoidable”.
“This has been a slow, painful six years towards something that will never deliver complete justice for Kumanjayi Walker or the Yuendumu community,” Commissioner Kiss said.
“My heart continues to break for them, and all First Peoples families suffering over the national shame which is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody. As the coroner said emphatically, this death should not have happened.
“Kumanjayi was a loving and much-loved young man, who was failed by our justice system even before the night of his death. His history of trauma and intellectual disability were not adequately addressed during his time in detention. As the coroner found, his wellbeing was not prioritised by the officer who killed him.
“racism is running rife in our institutions, and it lies at the heart of these shocking injustices. But today marks a powerful moment. These findings, delivered on the lands of Yuendumu People – Kumanjayi Walker’s People – not only outline who, and what, is to blame, but offer a clear pathway for reform.
“Like the coroner, I sincerely hope these findings will help prevent further tragedies.”
Since the start of 2025, there have been 13 Aboriginal deaths in custody, including the May death of another Walpiri man, Kumanjayi White, who died after being restrained by police at an Alice Springs supermarket. The national total now approaches 600 deaths since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC).
Despite the Royal Commission’s landmark recommendations, Kiss said governments have failed to implement many key reforms, particularly around police training, community policing and the use of force. “Our governments must respond in a genuine way to the commitments they have undertaken to meet Closing the Gap targets,” Commissioner Kiss said. “We must urgently shift our focus to prevention, because the best way to stop our people from dying in custody is to stop them from being drawn into a system that has failed them from the very beginning.”
Kiss backed the Justice 4 Walker campaign, formed by Walker’s family and community, in calling for police accountability, divestment from punitive policing and investment in culturally safe, community-led alternatives. She said priorities should include independent oversight bodies, ending the practice of police routinely carrying guns in communities, and reinstating Warlpiri cultural authority and governance. She noted many of the coroner’s 32 recommendations align, at least in part, with these measures.
The Commissioner also urged the NT Government to reinstate its racism review into police, and called for independent police complaints ombudsmen in every jurisdiction. To ensure full implementation of RCIADIC recommendations, she said the Federal Government should re-establish a national body similar to what existed under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission.
“Without an evidence and human rights-based approach to justice and corrections, the unacceptable over-representation of our peoples in custody, and dying in custody, will remain a national shame. Today’s findings must be the final alarm. This must end.”
