Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
Stories
US nuclear submariners give glimpse into life at sea
US navy submariners on the USS Asheville have given a glimpse of what life will be like for Australian sailors on a nuclear-powered submarine. March 18, 2023 Highly trained US submariners live in tight and tough conditions aboard their nuclear-powered vessels but they’re immensely proud of the dangerous work they do deep below the surface […]
Torres Strait flooding fears as sea-level peak imminent
Traditional owners in the Torres Strait say rising sea levels continue to damage their islands, with fears an imminent tidal peak could inundate communities. February 19, 2023 Beneath the roots of a weathered almond tree on a remote island in Australia’s north, traditional owners enrich the soil of their homeland with the blood and DNA […]
Struggle to survive in Torres Strait Island ‘paradise’
Traditional owners in the Torres Strait Islands are being forced to leave their archipelago homes amid the soaring cost of living and lack of housing. February 5, 2023 The Torres Strait Islands are like a tropical paradise to outsiders but for many traditional owners it has more in common with a failed state as they struggle to survive amid […]
‘War zone’ fears over NT cops’ weapons
A policeman has told an inquest into the death of an Indigenous teen shot dead by Northern Territory officers he feared his town would become a “war zone”. September 8, 2022 When a local policeman spotted Alice Springs officers arriving in his outback community with high-powered weapons to arrest an Indigenous teenager, he worried it […]
NT police shooting response ‘racist’
An inquest into the death of an Indigenous teen shot dead by a Northern Territory policeman has heard the incident is evidence of systemic racism in the force. September 7, 2022 The cousin of an Indigenous teenager shot dead by a Northern Territory constable has told an inquest that racism drove the police response to […]
Walker inquest told of NT police deception
Northern Territory police deceived Kumanjayi Walker’s community about his death because they were fearful of the repercussions, an inquest has been told. September 6, 2022 A terrified Indigenous community was tricked into believing one of their sons was still alive hours after he had been shot dead by Northern Territory police, an inquest has been told. […]
Song and dance in bush court over Santos
Tiwi Island traditional owners have sung and danced as they gave evidence to a bush court hearing a case about a massive Northern Territory gas project. August 22, 2022 Traditional owners have given evidence to a bush court in song and dance in a bid to stop a massive Northern Territory offshore gas project. Tiwi […]
Telegraph line that changed us turns 150
It’s 150 years since the telegraph line described as Australia’s greatest engineering feat of the 19th century was finished, changing the nation forever. August 21, 2022 The overland telegraph line that changed the way Australia communicated with the outside world and boosted national wealth is turning 150 years old. News of the day, British parliament’s […]
Historic Indigenous Voice heard at Garma
The prime minister’s historic Indigenous Voice to parliament speech at Garma Festival has been the highlight of the four-day celebration of Yolngu culture. August 1, 2022 The red dust may be settling as this year’s Garma Festival draws to a close but the memories of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s historic Indigenous Voice to parliament speech will long remain. It […]
PM’s Garma push for Voice referendum
The prime minister has recommended changes to the constitution and committed to a public vote on an Indigenous Voice in an historic speech in Arnhem Land. July 30, 2022 Australia could be on the cusp of historic change, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese outlining plans for constitutional amendments and a referendum for an Indigenous Voice […]
NT triple murderer reveals why he did it
Convicted triple murderer Benjamin Hoffmann has taken the stand during sentencing submissions to tell his side of the story for the first time. July 25, 2022 A gunman convicted of murdering three people and killing another during a drug-fuelled Darwin shooting spree has told his side of the story for the first time. Benjamin Hoffmann […]
Gas fracker ‘havoc’ on NT cattle station
A pastoralist is trying to overturn a court order granting a gas fracking company access to a Northern Territory cattle station, saying it’s causing “havoc”. June 20, 2022 A pastoralist fighting to stop a gas fracker exploring its Northern Territory cattle station says the company is causing “havoc” and will eventually force the stock from its paddocks. […]
‘Humanitarian’ concerns amid NT unrest
A “humanitarian situation” has developed in the Northern Territory after fearful residents fled a violent feud in a remote Indigenous community. May 5, 2022 Some displaced residents may not return to their homes in a remote Northern Territory Indigenous community over fears for their safety amid a violent feud between rival clans. One man is […]
‘Tense times’ as 500 flee NT social unrest
Some displaced Aboriginal residents may not return to their homes in a remote Northern Territory community over fears for their safety amid violent unrest. May 5, 2022 Some displaced residents may not return to their homes in a remote Northern Territory Indigenous community over fears for their safety amid a violent feud between rival clans. One man […]
Darwin port plan sparks health concerns
A Darwin Harbour industrial development backed by the Morrison government could have severe impacts on human health, an environmental report says. April 17, 2022 A new Darwin port industrial hub spruiked by the deputy prime minister could have severe impacts on human health, a Northern Territory government environmental report says. Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce on Tuesday […]
Concern over NT Indigenous voter enrolment
The Northern Land Council says the electoral commission has failed to use automatic enrolment in the Northern Territory’s remote areas, excluding many voters. April 11, 2022 A powerful Northern Territory land council has raised concerns about low voter enrolment in many Indigenous communities. The Northern Land Council says the Australian Electoral Commission has failed to […]
Origin Energy questioned over Russian link
Origin Energy denies any wrongdoing over its links to a Russian billionaire and says it will comply with any directions from the Australian government. March 25, 2022 A gas company exploring the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin has denied any wrongdoing over its links to a Russian billionaire on Australia’s sanctions list. Origin Energy says it […]
Kakadu land handback not just symbolic
The return of nearly half of Kakadu National Park to traditional owners is expected to create hundreds of business opportunities for Aboriginal people. March 24, 2022 The return of nearly half of Kakadu National Park to traditional owners isn’t just symbolic, it’s set to create hundreds of business opportunities for Aboriginal people. The massive land […]
Top End Never Never country handed back
The homestead depicted in Jeannie Gunn’s groundbreaking novel We of the Never Never has been handed back to traditional owners in the Northern Territory. March 24, 2022 Jeannie Gunn’s groundbreaking novel We of the Never Never painted a picture of Australian frontier life at Elsey Station in the North Territory outback. Fast forward more than […]
What the jury didn’t hear in NT cop’s trial
The Northern Territory policeman acquitted of murdering Kumanjayi Walker assaulted an Indigenous man and lied about it under oath, a court has heard. March 18, 2022 A Northern Territory policeman cleared of murdering teenager Kumanjayi Walker assaulted an Aboriginal man and lied about it under oath, a court has heard. The finding was not put […]
NT Chief denies interfering in Rolfe case
Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner has denied politically interfering in a murder investigation involving a policeman and an Aboriginal teen. March 14, 2022 Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner has denied politically interfering in a murder investigation in the days after a policeman fatally shot an Aboriginal teenager. Mr Gunner has admitted telling the […]
NT policeman’s murder acquittal stirs rage
Indigenous leaders have reacted with sadness and anger after a jury found a Northern Territory policeman not guilty of murdering teenager Kumanjayi Walker. March 11, 2022 A remote Indigenous community is in pain after a jury acquitted a Northern Territory policeman of murdering one of their young men, with an activist decrying the justice system […]
NT cop’s murder trial a cover-up: lawyer
Lawyer David Edwardson QC says Constable Zachary Rolfe should never have been prosecuted for murder and the prosecution hasn’t come close to proving his guilt. March 9, 2022 An Aboriginal teenager was “in many respects the author of his own misfortune” when shot dead by a Northern Territory policeman, his murder trial has been told. […]
NT triple fatality ‘not deaths in custody’
The coroner has found three Indigenous Northern Territorians killed in a Christmas Day car accident as they fled from police were not deaths in custody. March 7, 2022 Three Indigenous Northern Territorians killed in a car crash on Christmas Day as they sped away from police were not deaths in custody, a coroner has found. […]