An apology to Aboriginal Territorians

I, Michael Murphy, Commissioner of the Northern Territory Police am deeply sorry to all Aboriginal Territorians, for the past harms and injustices caused by members of the Northern Territory Police.

I formally apologise for the hurt inflicted upon Aboriginal people, and together with my fellow officers, I commit the NT Police service to do the hard work to transform our relationship with Aboriginal Territorians for a safer community for all.

We know that we cannot change or undo the past, but together we can commit to not repeating our mistakes and the injustices.

Kulgera

About

Kulgera is a small bush town surrounded by thousands of kilometres of cattle station, situated just 21km from the South Australia/Northern Territory border. It is Pitjantjatjara country, and Aboriginal paintings can be found at sites in the area.

According to archaeological evidence, the area has been occupied by the Luritja Aboriginal people for at least 25,000 years. Kulgera and the nearby Mount Cavanagh stations were established as sheep farms in the late 1920s, but converted to cattle in the 1960s due to drought, poor wool prices and labour costs.

The realignment of the Stuart Highway in 1947 saw Kulgera become a highway stopover and in 1955 a store was built, the forerunner of the Kulgera Roadhouse today.

Education

There is no local school, so School of the Air or boarding school are the only education options.

Health

There is no health clinic located within Kulgera, therefore medical facilities are limited to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Station white box.

Finke and Imanpa communities have a clinic staffed by a full-time registered nurse.

Recreation activities

There is the 4WD Goyder stock route, local Aboriginal paintings, bushwalking and camping.