Melissa Mackay is an award-winning reporter, producer and presenter at ABC News in Sydney. She previously covered courts in the Northern Territory for six years and has reported on some of the NT's most high-profile cases, including the murder trials of former Constable Zachary Rolfe and Benjamin Hoffmann, as well as the coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker. She won a 2024 Young Walkley award for her coverage of the NT coroner's inquiry into domestic violence and has been nominated for numerous other awards for her reporting.
She previously worked at 9 News Darwin and ABC Alice Springs.
Every day of the coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, a sign reading "tell the truth" has stood outside the Alice Springs Local Court. Now, with final submissions heard, the NT coroner faces the task of finding that truth.
Lawyers for the NT Police Force have described one of their former officers as an alleged "racist", "misogynist" and "narcissist, with grandiose ideas about his own abilities", at the inquest into the fatal police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker.
The NT coroner has announced a second inquiry into domestic violence, before the government has even committed to the recommendations in the first. So what's next in the fight to end the crisis?
Counsel assisting the coroner has made final submissions with scathing accusations of former NT police constable Zachary Rolfe, in the inquest into the shooting death of Aboriginal man Kumanjayi Walker.
It was two days before Christmas when Mary Malbiynga's little sister was killed by her partner at Darwin's famous Mindil Beach.
The Northern Territory coroner has delivered her findings and recommendations from a landmark coronial inquiry into the domestic violence killings of four Aboriginal women in the territory. She's also announced she'll hold a second major inquiry into the issue.
An ongoing crisis has claimed eight Northern Territory lives in just five months, now Coroner Elisabeth Armitage is about to release a landmark report on the issues behind the human suffering.
The owners of the Western Sydney eatery forced to close due to one of the first COVID-19 clusters say they would again listen to the government advice.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke confirms the conservative online influencer will not be granted a visa, saying: "Australia's national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else."
The 52-year-old was arrested on Monday after being hospitalised for a suspected drug overdose. Police allegedly later found crystal meth in his vehicle.
Six boys and a man died when the popular amusement park ride at Luna Park in Sydney was engulfed in flames 45 years ago. A coronial inquest, held that same year, found the cause of the fire could not be determined.
Former television host Andrew O'Keefe was found guilty in January of assaulting a woman during an argument in 2021. He was also found guilty of contravening an apprehended violence order and possessing a prohibited drug.
Point-to-point speed cameras, which calculate a driver's average speed between two points, will be switched on for all vehicles travelling on the Pacific Highway between Kew and Lake Innes and the Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai.
About four per cent of sexual assault cases have been dropped after a wide-ranging audit of rape prosecutions.
The Minns government will introduce new offences, court orders and other changes in a bid to address gaps in the state's domestic, family and sexual violence legislation.
A second person has been arrested and charged by NSW Police over an alleged theft that saw more than half-a-million-dollars worth of limited edition Bluey coins stolen from a Western Sydney warehouse.
An expert in fatigue management has told an inquiry looking into the Taipan helicopter crash that some ADF crews are continuing training despite fatigue recommendations suggesting otherwise, echoing similar concerns made those who died in the crash.
An inquiry into the deaths of four army personnel last July has heard the wife of one of the victims, Captain Danniel Lyon, was asked not to hold his funeral on Fathers' Day in consideration of her "future partner".
The highly anticipated Chatswood to Sydenham route runs under Sydney Harbour, directly linking north-west commuters to the CBD, and is scheduled to open this Sunday.
Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig gave Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun seven days to "show cause" as to why the council should not be suspended on Thursday.
Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig has advised Mayor Ned Mannoun that Liverpool Council has a week to prove why it should not be suspended, after an investigation found "widespread and serious concerns about dysfunction" within the council.
The latest NSW Health respiratory surveillance report shows there were 12,421 cases of influenza reported in the week ending June 22. It was a 38 per cent increase on the previous week.
NSW Health data has revealed that whooping cough rates in the state are at their highest in almost a decade. Multiple respiratory illnesses — including whooping cough and pneumonia — have been spreading, particularly among school-aged children.
The prime minister has called for calm after the US consulate in Sydney has been vandalised in what police suspect is a politically motivated act.
ABC court report Melissa Mackay covered Northern Territory courtrooms for almost seven years, but what she witnessed at the coronial inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker shocked even her.