The massive amount of money put into the Northern Territory under the federal government's controversial intervention has not led to significant improvement for Aboriginal people, a royal commissioner says.
Commissioner Mick Gooda says there is a significant amount of money coming into the Territory but many people have told the NT child protection and detention royal commission that things have not improved.
"On one hand we're being told communities and organisations can't afford a worker but then on the other hand we've got a massive amount of money coming in here, and it's fairly easy to say for no visible significant improvement," Mr Gooda said.
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet associate secretary indigenous affairs Andrew Tongue said the data was undeniably confronting in terms of child protection and youth justice, but trends were heading in the right direction in other areas such as health.
"It's not fast enough and it's not as strong as we would like, but in many areas the trend line is heading in the right direction," Mr Tongue told the Darwin hearing.
"In many of the things the Commonwealth is principally concerned with, primary health care for example, the data suggests that things are heading in the right direction."
All Commonwealth expenditure flowing into the NT totalled $653 million in 2014/15, the inquiry heard on Monday.
Mr Gooda said Aboriginal people feel disempowered following the intervention and the Territory's local government reforms.
"Almost from the intervention to the abolition of councils, the non-construction of these advisory boards that were supposed to be developed after the shire reforms, has basically led to the disempowerment of Aboriginal people. We hear that all the time.
"We've got people out there who have basically just given up because of what's happened to them over the last 10 or 15 years."
Mr Tongue said there was a lot to learn from Australia's approach to its aid delivery overseas, where there was an exit strategy and community development approach.
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the Howard government's emergency response in remote NT Aboriginal communities.
The 2012 Stronger Futures legislation committed $3.4 billion to continue its work for 10 years.
