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Derek Hunt Flips the Script at the NT Supreme Court
Home Derek Hunt Flips the Script at the NT Supreme Court
17 April 2026
3 minute read

The Batchelor Institute community is celebrating the powerful contribution of Derek Hunt to the recent Language and the Law conference. In a scene that challenged years of legal tradition, Derek stood before the NT Supreme Court bench, not as an interpreter for a defendant, but as the defence lawyer in a Yolngu Matha-led courtroom.

Derek pictured far left with spear with his daughter, Haley, standing to his right. Judge - Nadyezhda Pozzana: Associate - Haley Hunt: Prosecutor - Jerrimiah Baker: Defence Lawyer - Derek Hunt: Interpreter - Rose Lanyba-Lanyba: Defendant - Justice Meridith Day Huntingford

Derek’s performance was part of the "You Understand, Don’t You?" role-play, designed to give judicial officers a "shock to the system" regarding language barriers. Clad in traditional attire and holding a spear, Derek represented the intersection of Yolngu sovereignty and modern legal practice. He represented the "defendant", who was none other than Justice Meredith Day Huntingford (pictured 3rd from the right), entirely in language, forcing the Supreme Court judge to experience the vulnerability of being unable to speak for herself.

People who only speak English think the system is hard for them — try doing it without the language. Our mob get dragged through processes they don’t understand, and then blamed for not keeping up. Interpreters aren’t optional. They’re the only thing that makes the system even close to fair. Derek explained.

This collaboration highlights the essential work of the Aboriginal Interpreter Service and the Batchelor Institute in advocating for linguistic justice. Derek’s participation serves as a reminder of the expertise our staff and partners bring to the table, ensuring that First Nations languages and laws are respected at the highest levels of the territory’s justice system.

Derek is currently the Project Officer within the Higher Education, Research and Languages Division (HERLD) at Batchelor Institute. Beyond his administrative duties, Derek is involved in the institute's cultural and research initiatives.

Derek also has a Diploma of Interpreting attained through the Batchelor Institute, is Nationally Certified through the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) and has been an interpreter for seventeen (17) years with the Aboriginal Interpreter Service.

Next to Derek in the group photo is his daughter, Haley, who is a third generation Nationally Accredited interpreter who played the Judges Associate.