Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations want more than just good will from government - they are demanding action.
The Joint Council on Closing the Gap has met on Larrakia Country in Darwin, with the Coalition of Peaks calling for stronger action from the Commonwealth, states and territories.
Scott Wilson is the acting Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations.
"Real change requires genuine partnership, shared accountability and smarter funding models," Mr Wilson told NITV.
"We're hoping ministers have come here today with more than good will, but with the real appetite for action."
It follows the recent deaths in custody of two Indigenous men in the Northern Territory.
"Deaths in custody and mass incarcerations are not accidents," Mr Wilson said.
"They’re outcomes of a system that needs deep systemic change."
Two deaths in custody in two weeks
On May 30 a 68-year-old senior Elder from Wadeye died after he was detained for alleged intoxication at Darwin airport.
He was later transferred to a hospital where he later passed away.
It came two weeks after the passing of 24-year-old Warlpiri man Kumanjayi White in Alice Springs.
Mr White, who was living with a disability, passed away after being restrained by police in plain clothes at an Alice Springs supermarket on May 27.
The NT Police Force has rejected multiple requests from the family, Aboriginal controlled organisations, and Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy, to hand over the investigation of Kumanjayi White's passing to an independent body.
"It is alarming to see the high rates of First Nations people dying in custody," Minister McCarthy told NITV.
"This is a fact I have raised this week already with Indigenous Affairs Ministers."
Last week the country's largest Aboriginal legal service called on the federal government to hold an "emergency intervention" into the justice system in the Northern Territory.
The calls drew sharp criticism from NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, who labelled them as "politicising" the issue.
'It is a concern'
Since the new NT Country Liberal Party government swept to power in August — on a platform of 'tough on crime' policies — the number of people behind bars has increased by around 600, meaning more than 1 per cent of the Territory's adult population is in prison.
Around half of the total prison population in the Northern Territory is on remand, awaiting trial.
Almost 90 per cent of prisoners in the NT are Aboriginal.
When questioned over what action the federal government would consider Minister McCarthy said responsibility falls to each jurisdiction.
"Let’s be very clear. Every state and territory jurisdiction has their own responsibilities. My role as Indigenous Affairs Minister is to concentrate at the federal level."
Inaction on youth justice
While the federal government says they are pressuring states and territories to reduce the number of Indigenous youth in custody, over the past two years most jurisdictions have passed punitive laws that contravene the Closing the Gap agreement.
Last year, the Northern Territory CLP government lowered the age of criminal responsibility back to 10, against the advice of legal and health experts.
Victoria and NSW introduced tougher bail laws, leading to calls of betrayal from First Nations community members.
And Queensland enacted "adult crime, adult time," which can see children as young as ten sentenced to life in prison.
Mr Wilson called on the federal government to take leadership over the issue.
"Locking up 10-year-old kids isn’t justice; it’s a failure of policy and compassion," he said.
A review of the National Closing the Gap agreement
Mr Wilson said the gathering provided an opportunity to discuss the independent, Indigenous-led, review of the National Closing the Gap agreement, which is due to be released on Saturday.
"We expect it will reinforce what we already know," he said.
"The message is clear, when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led organisations lead, outcomes improve in health, education, justice and across the board.
"The government has seen the evidence; the question now is will they act on it?"
