The National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls stands in full support of Senator Lidia Thorpe’s referral of Northern Territory Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby to the NT Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC), following serious allegations of government interference in the independence of the NT Supreme Court.
‘This referral reflects deep concerns about the integrity of a justice system that continues to discriminate against Aboriginal people while protecting the powerful,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The leaked email from NT Chief Justice Michael Grant, requesting that the Attorney-General’s Department refrain from interfering with court media communications, exposes what many of our communities have long known: state agents are not neutral actors. They are active participants in a system that enables and excuses the harm done to Aboriginal people,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
The case that triggered this exchange, the sentencing of a non-Indigenous driver who killed an Aboriginal man and seriously injured another, has reignited long-standing pain and fury across the Northern Territory. ‘It reflects a pattern we see across so-called Australia: where Aboriginal deaths are dismissed, our lives are devalued, and state institutions close ranks to protect one another,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘Senator Thorpe’s actions are an important intervention in a system that routinely fails to hold itself accountable. Her call for transparency and investigation is not just about one case or one official, it is about exposing the everyday corruption of a justice system that privileges whiteness, wealth, and power while punishing the poor, the Blak, and the criminalised,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘The National Network commend Senator Thorpe for her courage in standing up to a system designed to silence dissent and protect itself. Her actions are a reminder that justice will not come from the same institutions that cause us all the most harm, it will come from the collective power and resistance of communities,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226
