Kumanjayi White family lawyer alleges double standard in MP case handling

The lawyer representing the family of Kumanjayi White has accused the Northern Territory Director of Public Prosecutions (NT DPP) of applying a double standard in handling legal cases.

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In one case, you have a politician who allegedly elbows the administrator of the Northern Territory. He's immediately charged and they refer the matter to the Commonwealth DPP because they don't want any appearance of bias.

George Newhouse, the lawyer, highlighted the stark contrast between the management of a case involving Labor MP Luke Gosling, who faces assault charges, and the investigation into Kumanjayi White's death. Gosling's case was referred to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to avoid any "perceived conflict of interest."

In contrast, the investigation into the death of Kumanjayi White, a 24-year-old Indigenous man who died in May 2025 after being restrained by police officers in an Alice Springs supermarket, concluded nearly a year later with no charges laid against the officers involved. The family's requests for an independent investigation have been rejected.

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However, in the case of Kumanjayi White, not only does it take them nearly a year to decide whether to charge or not … then they won't tell us who made the decision … and they refuse, despite our request, to refer it to independent inquiries with another police force in another jurisdiction or another DPP.

"In one case, you have a politician who allegedly elbows the administrator of the Northern Territory. He's immediately charged and they refer the matter to the Commonwealth DPP because they don't want any appearance of bias," Newhouse stated. "However, in the case of Kumanjayi White, not only does it take them nearly a year to decide whether to charge or not … then they won't tell us who made the decision … and they refuse, despite our request, to refer it to independent inquiries."

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I think the family are entitled to ask why a death in custody, a death, is being treated so differently to the alleged elbowing of a non-Indigenous man.

Newhouse questioned why a death in custody is being treated so differently from an alleged assault on a non-Indigenous man. He emphasized that while the specific conflicts of interest might differ, the principle of needing an independent process remains. "We're not saying anyone is guilty. All we're saying is there needs to be an independent process in the same way that Mr Gosling is being treated through an independent process," he added.

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We're not saying anyone is guilty. All we're saying is there needs to be an independent process in the same way that Mr Gosling is being treated through an independent process.