Aboriginal Police Officers Launch Class Action Against NT Government Over Alleged Racism and Underpayment

Three current and former Aboriginal community police officers in the Northern Territory have launched a class action in the Federal Court against the Territory government and NT Police, alleging they endured nearly three decades of racial discrimination, abuse, and underpayment.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Aboriginal community police officers (ACPOs) who served between 1998 and 2025, is led by Shawn Lewfatt, a Darwin man who has been an ACPO since 1998. Lewfatt told Guardian Australia that the abuse he witnessed and experienced eventually forced him to take medical leave two years ago.

"We'd hear [non-Indigenous] police officers make comments like boong, coons, gins, lubras," he said. "They would refer us – when I say us Aboriginal community police officers – as slappos, so they put the SL in front of Apos to make Slapos … a reference to us being slack."

Lewfatt also alleged hearing colleagues use violent, contemptuous, and dehumanising language about Aboriginal people in custody and on patrol in Darwin and surrounding areas. He recounted comments such as, "I feel better now that I've got to smash those coons" and "If you want any black cunts locked up let me know," as well as references to Aboriginal women as "fucking dogs" or "camp dogs."

The class action follows an unsuccessful complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in September 2024, according to ABC News. The AHRC terminated that claim earlier this year after parties failed to reach a resolution, giving the officers 60 days to pursue legal action.

The applicants are represented by Melbourne-based law firm Gordon Legal. Partner Seb O'Meara described the allegations as "deeply concerning," saying they "concern almost three decades of unchecked racist abuse and unequal terms and conditions of employment." He added that the clients allege systemic racial vilification directed at them personally and at community members.

Lewfatt, who said he joined the force in 1998 to have a positive impact on his community, claimed he was routinely given work above his expected duties—comparable to the level of constable—without appropriate pay. This meant he and his fellow community officers received less pay than non-Indigenous colleagues doing similar tasks.

"It's been a long journey," Lewfatt told ABC News. "We tried to fight it internally for decades, but we had no voice. I felt it was our only option."

The officers are seeking compensation and an apology. The class action could grow to include hundreds of current and former Aboriginal community police officers, according to both reports.

NT Police has an anti-racism strategy, which includes a commitment to provide anti-racism training for all employees, as noted by ABC News.