The NSW Aboriginal Land Council has withdrawn from its role supporting the state’s Closing the Gap framework, saying years of working with government have failed to deliver the outcomes Aboriginal communities need.
NSWALC chairperson and Dhangatti/Gumbaynggirr man Raymond Kelly said the organisation had decided its time and resources could be better spent directly supporting its network of Local Aboriginal Land Councils and their communities.
“We just don't think it's worth our time to continue to work towards something that is not providing the real services that community needs,” Kelly told NITV.
He said NSWALC would continue to work with government and Aboriginal peak organisations, but would no longer manage or support the Closing the Gap secretariat structure.
“That’s not to say that we won’t work with governments,” he said. “It’s about us doing things with the time and energy that we’ve got to do for our community.”
The decision comes amid growing concerns from NSWALC about the NSW Government’s approach to Aboriginal affairs, including Aboriginal land rights and cultural heritage.
Kelly said NSWALC would continue advocating on issues including housing, health and education through its nine-member council, with councillors holding portfolios across different areas.
“We will continue to work towards good outcomes for our communities, right across the board in all of the issues, whether it’s housing, health, or education,” he said.
‘Time to reset the agenda’
Kelly said NSWALC wanted the NSW Government to reset its relationship with Aboriginal organisations.
“One of the things that we clearly want to say to government: it’s time to reset the agenda. It’s time to reset relationships,” he said.
He pointed to proposed changes to NSW’s Crown Land legislation as one of the issues contributing to the council’s concerns.
Kelly said NSWALC was particularly concerned about proposed powers that could affect historical Aboriginal land claims, some of which date back more than 40 years. Earlier this year, significant protests were held in front of NSW Parliament House in opposition to the proposed changes.
NSWALC has previously raised concerns about the NSW Government’s handling of the state’s backlog of Aboriginal land claims.
Kelly said the council was also concerned about what he described as a lack of clarity from the government about its claim that the existing land claims system was “broken”.
“We don’t understand what he means by broken,” Kelly said.
“Is it the multitude of land claims that are causing him concerns? We’re over 40-odd thousand land claims at the moment. Is it because he doesn’t have enough money in his department to properly audit and make sense of those land claims?”
Kelly said NSWALC wanted greater transparency about what the government considered to be wrong with the current system.
“We’re not getting that clarity,” he said.
NSWALC says it will keep working to close the gap
Kelly stressed that withdrawing from the secretariat did not mean NSWALC was abandoning efforts to improve Aboriginal outcomes.
He said the organisation had been required to carry significant costs while waiting for government funding to be reimbursed, with NSWALC sometimes spending about $1 million a year on those costs.
“That’s money that we could activate in our communities straight away,” he said.
Instead, NSWALC intends to focus its resources on areas where it believes it can deliver more immediate benefits, including housing and renewable energy opportunities.
Kelly also criticised what he described as continued delays over Aboriginal culture and heritage reform.
“Both at a federal and a state level, the government has balked time and time again around these cultural heritage matters,” he said.
“There’s been a promise of the delivery on a culture and heritage bill, and look, the time is just continuing to build and build and build, and we see no action.”
Government says Closing the Gap remains a priority
A spokesperson for NSW Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said the Closing the Gap Partnership Agreement was established in 2020 under the former NSW Government.
The spokesperson said the Minns Government had inherited the structure but had continued to work “in good faith” towards shared outcomes.
In June 2026, the NSW Government announced $45.3 million for Closing the Gap initiatives to be delivered in partnership with Aboriginal organisations and communities.
That funding was in addition to $246.8 million announced in the 2025–26 NSW Budget to Close the Gap over four years, developed in partnership with the Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations (CAPO).
“Closing the Gap is a priority for the NSW Government, and we are committed to working in partnership with all Aboriginal People to realise their aspirations and improve outcomes,” the spokesperson said.
The government said effective partnership required commitment from all parties to work towards common goals and that it would continue working with CAPO in line with its commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
For Kelly, however, the decision is about redirecting NSWALC’s efforts rather than ending its engagement with government.
“We are good partners. We have been great partners for the state government,” he said.
“We will continue to be good partners, given that the government wants to reset relationships.”
“Maybe this is the best way for us to actually really see the closing of the gap.”
