The Northern Territory's police commissioner has admitted to knowing about the existence of racist awards handed out to officers earlier than he previously stated.
The coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker on Wednesday held its final day of testimony, after a gruelling 18 months.
Extensive allegations of racism within the territory police force were made during the course of the inquest, including copies of the awards, which were submitted as evidence.
Commissioner Michael Murphy told reporters in February of this year that he was not aware of the awards.
Appearing before the coroner's court in Alice Springs on Wednesday, Commissioner Murphy admitted that in fact he was aware of the awards in August 2023.
Under questioning from counsel assisting Dr Peggy Dwyer, Commissioner Murphy agreed that his comments to reporters were misleading.
He also confirmed that he had taken no disciplinary action in relation to the awards.
In the same February press conference, Commissioner Murphy told reporters that he was not aware of any racist behaviour within the territory's police force.
Given he knew about the existence of the awards, which made derogatory reference to First Nations people and were given to officers for things such as poor hygiene, when that testimony was made, Dr Dwyer suggested he had engaged in 'gaslighting'.
"It is effectively gaslighting members of the Aboriginal community who have experienced racism and complained about it when you deny that there is any racism in the NT Police Force, do you accept that?" Dr Dwyer said.
"Yes I do, and we're taking steps to address that," Mr Murphy replied.
Family speaks of their pain
19-year-old Warlpiri Luritja teenager Kumanjayi Walker was fatally shot by then-constable Zachary Rolfe in the remote community of Yuendumu in 2019, during an attempted arrest.
and he is no longer serving as a police officer in the Northern Territory.
In videos played to the Alice Springs court on Wednesday, Mr Walker's family described the pain they have felt since his death.
"We are still sad, we are still thinking about him," his grandmother Alice Walker-Nelson said.
"This Yuendumu was upside down. We wouldn't think about anything, just crying.
"We didn't know what to do."
Mr Walker's aunt Serita Lane said on the night of his death she went to Alice Springs Hospital, after being told he might have been flown there for treatment.
She said she didn't know he had already died when she arrived.
When Ms Lane got the call from family that he'd passed, she said she fell to the floor, crying.
"We didn't have a chance to say goodbye to him," she said.
"I was really in pain and sorry and crying ... Inside my heart is still crying."
