Warlpiri Elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves says whilst Elders "welcomed" Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy's apology at the recent Garma Festival, it should have been made to the community of Yuendumu first.
The community of Yuendumu, 300 km west of Alice Springs, is where 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man Kumanjayi Walker died after being shot three times by former constable Zach Rolfe during an arrest in 2019.
Mr Rolfe was found not guilty in 2022 of charges of murder and manslaughter.
At the weekend, Commissioner Murphy apologised to Aboriginal Territorians for the "the past harms and the injustices caused by members of the Northern Territory Police", before also endeavouring to apologise to Warlpiri and Central Australian communities at the conclusion of the coronial inquest into Mr Walker's death.
"The commissioner said he will apologise to Yuendumu when Kumanjayi Walker's inquest is finished, but he can take action before then," Mr Hargraves said.
The Warlpiri Elder argued "it means nothing when he [Commissioner Murphy] apologises to the wrong mob in Arnhem Land for what they did to Warlpiri people.
"They [NT Police] are only sorry their racist culture was exposed," Mr Hargraves said.
"One minute the police are celebrating Rolfe being acquitted. Then, when the public learns that they recruit rogue applications of poor character, they say they're sorry. But they will do it again and keep repeating the disgraceful acts that come naturally to them."
Mr Hargraves said whilst Elders "welcome" Commissioner Murphy's words, "words are easy. Actions are hard."
"We invite him to come and sit with us and find the way forward together with actions," he said.
"Commissioner Murphy says he wants partnerships with Aboriginal communities.
"Partnerships are between equals who share power, share resources, share respect. Napargi napargi. You give, I give. Equal."
During his apology, Commissioner Murphy said NT Police needed to be "accountable for the past treatment of Aboriginal people," highlighting that during the colonial era, police "saw themselves as duty bound to protect settlers and their property when Aboriginal people resisted their incursions".
"...at times, police officers have abused their powers or fall[en] short in their duty of care towards Aboriginal offenders, witnesses and … victims of crime," he said.
Mr Hargraves said that in the "early days, we were shot by police just for living on our Country".
"Then they enforced government policy to take our children. Decades after that it was police who enforced the government's Intervention, which made us powerless in our own communities. These actions are in the past, but they still affect our life today," he said.
"All of this affects how we feel about police. This trauma needs to be healed.
"What is the solution? How can we change this old relationship between police and Aboriginal people? That is what we have to focus on now."
He said if the Commissioner was serious about wanting real change, he would have to accept the racism prevalent in the NT Police.
"We have all seen the evidence at Kumanjayi Walker's inquest," Mr Hargraves said.
During the hearings, evidence has included a number of racist 'awards' handed out by the elite Territory Response Group (TRG), including for "c**n of the year", whilst other 'awards' issued between 2007 and 2015 were considered "so offensive" by ICAC Commissioner Michael Riches they weren't in the public interest to circulate.
Mr Hargraves has regularly spoken of the trauma in the Yuendumu community and called for the removal of guns in remote Indigenous communities to allow people to stop living in fear in the wake of Mr Walker's death.
"We have been clear about what we want. Karrinjarla muwajarri - ceasefire," he said.
"The police can agree now that they will not carry guns in Yuendumu.
"They can support our own Law and Justice Group. They can use some of the hundreds of millions of dollars the NT government gives them, to fund community-led ideas about working to keep everyone safe and happy."
