Despite the coroner delivering more than 30 recommendations in the inquest into the police shooting of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker — many calling for changes to police conduct — the Northern Territory Chief Minister has instead flagged a potential overhaul of the Coroner's Act as her government's first response, citing the inquiry's cost and duration.
Earlier this month Coroner Elisabeth Armitage concluded Australia's longest-running coronial inquest. It found former NT police officer Zachary Rolfe is a racist and the NT Police Force displays "significant hallmarks of institutional racism".
Mr Walker, a Warlpiri-Luritja man, was shot three times during a failed arrest attempt in Yuendumu in 2019. Mr Rolfe was acquitted of murder and manslaughter by a jury in 2022.
The coroner issued 32 recommendations addressing issues such as police culture and accountability — though not including calls for an independent police oversight body, as requested by the Walker family and legal advocates. In response, the NT Government has faced mounting pressure to address systemic racism and over-policing.
Despite this, Chief Minister and Police Minister Lia Finocchiaro has twice deflected from the Coroner's recommendations — even after the NT Police's acting commissioner acknowledged racism within the force.
On Monday, speaking to Mix FM, Ms Finocchiaro said the CLP Government was considering changes to the Coroner's Act due to the length and cost of the inquest into Mr Walker's death, which spanned over 30 months, sat for 71 days, and cost more than $7 million.
"It's an extraordinary amount of money and it's important that Territorians understand what these kinds of activities cost," she said.
"The coronial process is obviously a very important process but when a usual coronial inquest costs six thousand dollars and one as complicated as the four domestic violence women costing half a million, you can see how this one has completely blown out."
Asked by host Katie Woolf about any changes to the Coroner's Act, she said: "I think that's something the Attorney General is looking at as part of our broader justice reform package."
"It's really important that our courts are working well and all of our statutory bodies that do this sort of work are working well."
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The inquest's total cost is expected to exceed $10 million once NT Department of Health spending is included. The Coroner's Office spent more than $1.9 million, while NT Police spent nearly $5.5 million — including on high-profile barrister Ian Freckelton KC.
By comparison, the 18-month inquest into the deaths of four Aboriginal women — Kumanjayi Haywood, Ngeygo Ragurrk, Miss Yunupingu, and Kumarn Rubuntja — also conducted by Judge Armitage, cost just under $500,000.
Despite the NT Police's multimillion-dollar legal spend, Ms Finocchiaro reiterated the government's concerns over the coroner's approach.
"The government is really concerned about how long the coroner is taking to do these inquests and the amount of money she is spending doing it," she said.
"At the end of the day, it's not her money, it's not my money, it's your listeners' money... and we have to [be] making sure we're spending that on advancing the Territory."
Last week, Ms Finocchiaro downplayed the inquest's findings, claiming they largely focused on "events several years old". She acknowledged the process had "raised some serious issues that require consideration," but maintained "a lot of work has been done" already and said the inquest "certainly went on far longer than anyone expected or liked".
The NT Government has not committed to implementing any of the 32 recommendations — which it has no legal obligation to do so — but say they are considering them.
Both the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, the opposition spokesperson for Indigenous Australians, Kerrynne Liddle, as well as the Walker family and legal and human rights experts, have urged the NT Government to take the findings seriously to make wholesale changes across the Territory and save lives in the future.
There has also been strong community support for the Coroner's acknowledgment of racism in her findings.
"To hear the Coroner identify structural and entrenched racism in the NT Police has made us feel validated. Our family and community have always felt that racism killed Kumanjayi," said Mr Walker's cousin, Samara Fernandez-Brown after the findings were released.
Senior Warlpiri Elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, Mr Walker's grandfather, said the time for discussion was over.
"The Coroner talked about racism in the Northern Territory, she has told the truth," he said.
"We have come so close to justice so many times, only to have people in our family and community killed. The NT Police continue to harm our community, we need a ceasefire."
NT Police officials formally acknowledged the findings, with acting Commissioner Martin Dole admitting "all forms of racism have existed within the NT Police Force," and describing it as a "truth that we must face".
NT Police cultural reform director Leanne Liddle added the findings were "not new to many Aboriginal people," and emphasised the need to focus on the response.
