MEDIA STATEMENT
6 February 2026
The introduction of the National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Bill 2026 is a welcomed step toward correcting systems that have failed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children for generations.
Independent oversight, cultural authority and real accountability are essential if we are serious about preventing harm and protecting children’s rights. This Bill provides Parliament with an opportunity to move beyond symbolic commitments and deliver lasting, systemic change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children remain profoundly over-represented in child protection, youth detention and other punitive systems and continue to experience disproportionate harm, including family separation, incarceration and suicide. These outcomes are the result of systemic design choices that have too often ignored culture, community and the voices of children themselves.
Establishing a National Commissioner with real powers is a critical step toward addressing these failures. Independence from government, coupled with a mandate grounded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, is essential to driving meaningful reform, strengthening prevention and ensuring that commitments to protect children translate into action rather than rhetoric.
This reform aligns with the National Centre’s commitment to systemic change and to culturally informed, community-led responses that prevent and respond to child sexual abuse and other forms of harm. We urge all members of Parliament to seize this opportunity to support legislation that prioritises the rights, safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and to ensure that accountability for their protection is no longer optional.
The National Centre also acknowledges the leadership of National Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter, whose decades of advocacy and commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have been central to bringing this reform to Parliament.
