Barrister Joshua Creamer has been appointed to lead an inquiry into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody at Canberra’s Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC).

The ACT government has also finalised the terms of reference for the Board of Inquiry, which will examine systemic issues and common themes surrounding deaths in custody at the prison since 2016.

The inquiry will investigate health care, mental health support, substance misuse, institutional racism, cultural safety and human rights, as well as the effectiveness of rehabilitation and support services.

It will also examine prison policies, complaints procedures, staff training, accountability and organisational culture.

The inquiry’s scope includes the death of a detainee in NSW custody two years after being transferred from the ACT.

Creamer, a Waanyi and Kalkadoon man, is a barrister and former chair of Queensland’s Truth-Telling and Healing Inquiry. He was also involved in the Queensland Child Safety Commission of Inquiry.

Corrections Minister Caitlin Tough says his appointment will help ensure the inquiry is independent, culturally sensitive and informed by the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Independent MLA Thomas Emerson, whose Assembly motion in May 2025 secured the inquiry, has welcomed Creamer’s appointment but acknowledged community frustration over the delay.

He says the inquiry follows years of pressure from families who have lost loved ones at the AMC and First Nations advocates, including Julie Tongs and Joe Hedger.

Emerson says Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans are 25.4 times more likely to be incarcerated than non-Indigenous residents, describing an independent investigation into their treatment at the prison as long overdue.

“With powers similar to a Royal Commission, this Board of Inquiry offers an opportunity to uncover what’s really happening in the AMC and demand serious systemic reform,” he says.

The Board of Inquiry will begin on February 25, 2027, and run for six months, with its final report due to the Chief Minister by August 25.

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