The Northern Territory Coroner will look into the "past conduct" of Constable Zachary Rolfe and police responses to excessive force complaints in an inquest into the death of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker, a court has heard.
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains an image of a person who has died, used with the permission of their family.
Mr Walker died after he was shot by Constable Rolfe during an attempted arrest in the remote community of Yuendumu in 2019.
Constable Rolfe was found not guilty of murder and two alternative charges in relation to his death after a five-week trial held earlier this year.
During a directions hearing on Thursday ahead of September's coronial inquest into Mr Walker's death, counsel assisting the coroner Dr Peggy Dwyer told the court the inquest would cover a "lengthy" list of issues.
"The inquest will necessarily involve looking at the past conduct of some police officers, including Constable Rolfe, for example in relation to recruitment, training and disciplinary process," Dr Dwyer said.
Inquest to probe drug, alcohol testing of police
Constable Rolfe's lawyer, Luke Officer, told the court he was "grateful" the inquest wouldn't be a "roving Royal Commission into the conduct of Constable Rolfe".
"We are certainly alive, as is Constable Rolfe, to the positives that will come from this inquest and it is important that there is an attempt to rebuild the relationships between the community on one hand and police on the other," Mr Officer said.
The inquest is also expected to explore the departure of community health staff on the day Mr Walker was shot.
During the trial of Constable Rolfe earlier this year, the NT Supreme Court heard community clinic nurses and health staff had been evacuated from Yuendumu following a series of break-ins.
Dr Dwyer told the court that drug and alcohol testing of police officers, training, recruitment, and risk assessments would also be issues explored during the inquest.
Weeks of evidence about the circumstances of Mr Walker's death were aired during Constable Rolfe's trial, and Dr Dwyer told the court that witness statements and transcripts from the trial would be used as evidence for the inquest.
"We won't be going over all the same ground as the criminal trial and I think that's important …", Dr Dwyer said.
"Because everybody has suffered great trauma in having to relive the circumstances of Kumanjayi's tragic death from the trial, so we won't need to do that in exactly the same ways."
Coroner to travel to Yuendumu
The coronial inquest will also explore whether there is any evidence to suggest the "fairness or efficiency" of the NT Police coronial investigation was "compromised or impaired".
It is expected the policies and procedures of NT Police concerning deaths in custody, and the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, will also be examined.
The court heard Dr Dwyer and fellow counsels assisting the coroner Patrick Coleridge had travelled to Yuendumu earlier this week to speak with Mr Walker's family members.
Dr Dwyer told the court NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage had been invited to travel to the community and hear from Mr Walker's relatives ahead of the inquest.
"Not necessarily to hear formal evidence, just in a way that honours the community of Yuendumu ...," she said.
"I'm sure I speak for all of my learned friends when in saying that we strive to have this inquest done in a way that is most respectful for the community of Yuendumu."
Inquest expected to run for three months
A full draft list of the issues to be explored during the inquest, which is expected to run for around three months, was released by the Coroner after Thursday's hearing.
It includes more than 50 questions the inquest hopes to answer, across seven broad issues.
The questions include: 'Has there been a 'militarisation' of the Northern Territory Police Force?' and 'Did Constable Rolfe provide accurate and honest information when applying for the Northern Territory Police Force, and if not, what, if anything, was done about it?'
The inquest will also aim to answer whether Mr Walker was provided with support for any disabilities he may have had and what factors led to him conflicting with police.
The coronial inquest will begin on September 5 in Alice Springs.
