Albanese said that with the Voice referendum his government 'attempted to break with business as usual' but that 'people voted against the model put forward'.  

Regarding federal intervention in the space to facilitate an independent investigation, Albanese said he needs to be ‘convinced that people in Canberra know better than people in the NT.’

Quotes attributable to Lidia Thorpe, Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung independent Victorian Senator:

"This is a shameful cop-out from the Prime Minister. He cannot use the failure of the Voice referendum as an excuse to ignore this national crisis. He doesn’t need a Voice to Parliament to listen.

"He can listen to the families demanding justice. He can listen to the hundreds of coronial findings, and to the independent experts and advocacy groups who’ve been calling for action for decades. He can listen to the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s recommendations on police accountability. He can listen to the thousands of people who rallied across the country over the weekend. He can listen to the Labor Member for Lingiari and Minister McCarthy, who have both supported an independent investigation. Once again, the Prime Minister is undermining members of his own government.

"And most importantly, he can read the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody — which laid out the answers more than 30 years ago. The Prime Minister is clearly not across the report’s recommendations.

"I have repeatedly asked the Prime Minister to meet with the families and hear first hand of their pain. He refuses to meet with them.

"We can’t accept more excuses while our people keep dying. In my view, every death in custody from this point on is blood on his hands."

Independent Investigation

"How can he argue that NT Police are better placed to investigate this case than an independent body, when the inquest into Kumanjayi Walker's death exposed entrenched racism within that very police force? And when the NT Government has been pursuing a cruel, punitive approach to law and order, which they know disproportionately harms First Peoples? The NT government's approach in this space is subject to complaints to the UN.

"The NT government and NT police are not up to the job and do not have the trust of the community.

"The Albanese government has often suggested these are state and territory matters. This is dishonest and a shameful abdication of responsibility. The federal government has the power to act when it chooses to, and they can mobilise quickly. We saw that during COVID. This is a life or death issue. What’s missing is the political will.

"Albanese could establish an independent oversight body to investigate this death, which is one of the Royal Commission’s recommendations. This should be made up of legal and human rights experts, Aboriginal leaders, and community members. There are working models overseas. The Yoorrook Commission highlighted the Northern Ireland model as a strong example.

"First and foremost, he should meet with the family, listen to them and respect their wishes."

Federal Solutions

"He must also look at the Closing the Gap framework, which is failing. Instead of vague targets, the federal government could implement hard consequences when states and territories fail to make progress. Even Coalition of Peaks Convener Pat Turner has said this. 

"The federal government could tie state and territory funding to compliance with national standards and international human rights obligations — including OPCAT, the Mandela Rules, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. But Albanese refuses to take any responsibility.

"I also want to see someone made responsible for overseeing and driving the implementation of the Royal Commission recommendations.

"No one has had oversight for 20 years since the demise of ATSIC. This function could lie with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, whom I have met with and is willing to take this on. The Albanese government needs to commit funding and resourcing to this.

"These are preventable deaths. This is life or death. And it’s long past time for action. The Prime Minister needs to show leadership, not make excuses."