Federal politicians are being criticised for suggesting death-in-custody investigations should be carried out independently of a territory police force.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro's attack on Senator Malarndirri McCarthy and Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour comes amid calls for an external inquiry into an Aboriginal man's death in police custody.
Kumanjayi White, who had a mental disability, died on May 27 after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes officers inside a supermarket in Alice Springs.
Police allege the 24-year-old was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard.
Within a fortnight of his death, a 68-year-old Aboriginal Elder from Wadeye died in hospital after federal police stopped him boarding a plane in Darwin, allegedly because he was intoxicated.
NT Police and Ms Finocchiaro have vigorously defended the force's investigations into the deaths, saying independent inquiries are not needed.
Senator McCarthy, the federal Indigenous Australians Minister, has said an independent review might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation".
Ms Scrymgour has said a criminal investigation was a job "only police can undertake" but it did not have to be conducted by NT detectives when federal police could step in.
Ms Finocchiaro last week labelled Senator McCarthy's comments "unhelpful and uneducated" and called them "quite frankly appalling" at an NT parliament estimates hearing on Tuesday.
She said the senator and Ms Scrymgour should know better.
"The politicisation of this issue helps no one," the chief minister said.
"It does not support our police to do their important work or the coroner to do her important work, families who are grieving, communities who want answers."
Ms Finocchiaro urged people with the power to influence to use their voice to reinforce the strength of institutions, particularly NT Police.
Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said NT Police had a statutory responsibility to investigate all crimes in the territory "so it's not simply a matter that we can call in an external body that doesn't have any powers".
He said strict protocols were in place when investigating deaths involving police and the NT's ombudsman, anti-corruption agency and the coroner all had oversight.
Many Indigenous advocacy groups have backed independent inquiries into deaths in custody and over the weekend rallies were held across the nation calling for justice for Mr White.
On Tuesday, the Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory Aboriginal Corporation issued a statement saying it supported calls for an independent inquiry and police reform.
Chair John Paterson said every time an Aboriginal person died in custody the government said "never again ... but here we go again".
"Our people keep dying, and still nothing changes."
He said the group was outraged that both Mr White and the Wadeye Elder had vulnerabilities but were not met with care, only criminalisation.
"Their deaths reflect a system that is not broken, but functioning as it has been designed, to control, contain, and silence Aboriginal lives," Dr Paterson said.
He urged Ms Finocchiaro to work with his organisation to prevent further deaths.
13YARN 13 92 76
Lifeline 13 11 14
