The peak body for Indigenous legal services has joined more than 20 organisations in urging the Northern Territory Government to implement all recommendations from the coronial inquest into the shooting death of 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man Kumanjayi Walker.

Last month, NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage handed down her findings in the country's longest-running death in custody inquest, concluding that Mr Walker — who was fatally shot by then-constable Zachary Rolfe — died at the hands of an institution — the NT Police — that carried the "hallmarks of institutional racism".

Mr Walker was shot three times during a failed arrest attempt in Yuendumu, about 300 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs. Mr Rolfe was acquitted of murder and manslaughter in 2022 after a high-profile Supreme Court trial.

While the Coroner's recommendations stopped short of the independent police oversight model sought by advocates and Mr Walker's family, the NT Government has downplayed Judge Armitage's comments, noting many events occurred six years ago and arguing reforms are already underway. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has so far flagged only a potential overhaul of the Coroner's Act, citing the cost and duration of the inquiry.

In a statement, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) said it had signed a letter urging the government to take action to end Aboriginal deaths at the hands of police. The letter was delivered to NT Ministers last month.

"We express our deepest condolences and solidarity during this incredibly difficult, nearly six-year process the Yuendumu community has endured," NATSILS chair Karly Warner said.

"Together with Kumanjayi Walker's family and more than 20 other organisations, we are all calling for the NT Government to accept and implement the recommendations of the Coroner."

The letter stated: "The Coroner formally found what Aboriginal people in the NT have always known — that no one is holding NT Police accountable when they use excessive force and hurt Aboriginal people, and that there is entrenched systemic and structural racism within NT Police.

"Devastatingly, Kumanjayi Walker's death was found to be 'entirely avoidable'."

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NATSILS also called for every jurisdiction to adopt fully independent systems for investigating deaths in police custody, echoing the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency's push for independent oversight to deliver real accountability and transparency in cases of police misconduct against Aboriginal people.

"While we welcome the Coroner's recommendations to NT Police — including strengthening its anti-racism strategy — these internal actions are not enough," Ms Warner said.

"We need proper oversight of police and accountability including for any violence, racism and deaths that occur in police custody."

Judge Armitage said she was "satisfied that there is a significant risk that his [Mr Rolfe's] racism, in combination with some of his other attitudes and values, affected his interactions with the community of Yuendumu on 9 November 2019... in a way that increased the likelihood of a fatal outcome".

She identified a troubling pattern: Mr Rolfe's repeated use of force, his failure to activate body-worn cameras, and a police leadership that did not rein him in.

"There was a serious failure by senior police (and the systems that support them) to facilitate an adequate and timely investigation into Mr Rolfe, once it emerged that there was a concerningly similar theme to the complaints being made against him," Judge Armitage said.

While Judge Armitage noted some officers were "curious and culturally sensitive... dedicated to serving largely Aboriginal communities", she said the problem went beyond "one bad apple".

"Even so, I found that racist language and actions were not confined to Mr Rolfe," she said. "Instead, the evidence suggested that racist behaviour or language, although not uniform, was normalised within the [Alice Springs police station]."

Acting NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole acknowledged the cultural issues raised in the inquest were of "great concern" and promised reform.

"I acknowledge that all forms of racism have existed within the NT Police Force at various times, and that this was borne out in the evidence received during this inquest," he said last month.

"What was tolerated in the past will no longer be acceptable. We are committed to stamping out racism in all its forms and making this a safer, fairer organisation for everybody."

Mr Dole did not commit to adopting any of the 18 recommendations aimed at NT Police but said they would be considered "properly, thoroughly and with the seriousness that they warrant."

Ms Warner said NATSILS backed the Walker family's call for clear, actionable, community-driven solutions.

"These are practical and necessary steps the NT must take to create safer communities for everyone," she said.

"We are at yet another critical point, and the way forward from this moment could save lives, or could lead to more avoidable deaths of Aboriginal people. This choice will define the legacy of the NT Government and its police force."