The family of Kumanjayi Little Baby say they feel betrayed and let down after missing a crucial court hearing for her alleged murderer, Jefferson Lewis, in the latest example of systemic failures in how Australia's justice system treats Indigenous families.
According to the ABC, the family was not properly notified about the Northern Territory court hearing, leaving them unable to attend or provide victim impact statements.
This isn't a one-off bureaucratic mistake. It's a pattern that Indigenous families across Australia know all too well—being shut out of court processes, not informed about hearings, and treated as afterthoughts in cases involving their loved ones.
Kumanjayi Little Baby's death is part of the broader crisis of violence against Indigenous women in Australia, a crisis that receives far less attention than it deserves. When families can't even participate in court proceedings, it sends a clear message about whose lives and whose justice matters.
The NT justice system has been under intense scrutiny since the death of Kumanjayi Walker and the subsequent trial of Constable Zachary Rolfe. These high-profile cases exposed deep problems in how the territory handles Indigenous deaths and prosecutions.
But while those cases drew national attention, the everyday failures—like families not being notified of hearings—continue to pile up in courtrooms across the territory and the country. They don't make headlines, but they represent profound injustices.
Indigenous legal services have long called for reforms to ensure families are kept informed and included in court processes. The fact that these failures keep happening shows how little has actually changed despite years of reviews, reports, and promises.
Mate, when a family has to find out about a court hearing after it's already happened, the system isn't just failing—it's refusing to even try. And that's unacceptable.
