Daily news digest June 16
The top Indigenous news headlines across Australia focus on a major death in custody inquiry, a political clash over army cultural training, and regional program funding.
Justice & Legal Inquests
Pathologist Engaged for Death in Custody Inquest:
The family of Kumanjayi White, a 24-year-old Warlpiri man who died in 2025 after being restrained by police in an Alice Springs supermarket, has engaged an independent pathologist to provide evidence. Counsel assisting the NT Coroner confirmed that a four-week inquest has been officially scheduled for April 2027 to uncover the truth surrounding his death.
Call for Rigorous Remote Police Training:
After an investigation into a 2010 death near Broome, the WA State Coroner has formally urged Western Australia Police to enforce strict training protocols for officers before deploying them to remote Aboriginal communities.
Politics & Policy
Defence Training Controversy:
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has publicly criticised the Department of Defence’s “Exercise Greenskin” training program. The initiative connected 60 Army personnel with Ngunnawal traditions by teaching traditional Indigenous tool- and weapon-making, which Hanson labelled as “woke” and “out of touch”.
Procurement Policy Concerns:
Indigenous business leaders have raised alarms over “black cladding”—where non-Indigenous companies use minority Aboriginal stakes to secure lucrative government contracts—ahead of upcoming changes to the federal Indigenous Procurement Policy on July 1.
Community, Economy & Culture
Ardyaloon Art Centre Opening:
The community-built Ingarlgalandij Art and Culture Centre, located in the remote Bardi Country community of Ardyaloon (220km north of Broome), is finalising preparations for its official opening on June 19.
Hospital Art Submissions Open:
West Moreton Health has officially invited Indigenous artists in Queensland to submit large-scale artwork concepts. The selected pieces will be integrated into the entry corridor of Ipswich Hospital’s new transit lounge.
