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Non-government members of the Northern Territory Justice Policy Partnership said they were forced to walk away, citing a lack of partnership and consultation on Closing the Gap plans.
Seven independent justice experts and representatives, including the deputy chief executive of the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA), have suspended their participation with the Northern Territory Justice Policy Partnership (NTJPP).
It follows the resignation of two non-government members.
According to a recent NTJPP communique, the government members included the Attorney-General’s Department, the NT Children’s Commissioner, and the Department of Corrections.
Matthew Connop, co-chair and NAAJA deputy chief executive, said their advice was being ignored by the government but their presence was used to “suggest we agree with decisions we don’t support”.
“This isn’t partnership,” Connop said.
The breakdown within NTJPP followed “repeated attempts” by non-government members to realign with partnership elements of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and Terms of Reference.
In a letter to the deputy CEO of the Northern Territory Attorney-General’s Department and NTJPP co-chair, Leonique Swart, the non-government members reiterated the clear and practical changes needed to ensure the partnership could be maintained.
They said letters were also sent in October 2024 and May 2025, with one response labelled “inadequate and dismissive”.
“People deserve more than slogans and empty promises.
“They deserve to know that the government they elected to keep our communities safe is delivering policies that are backed by transparent evidence showing they actually reduce crime and make Territorians safer,” the North Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Service chief executive, Cindy Torrens, said.
Torrens said there are “serious questions” about whether NT’s crime data “can even be compared properly over time”.
Crime statistics are currently posted on the NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services’ website, published on the third Friday of each month. It contains only a brief reference to the number of offences per crime, including assault, break-ins and motor vehicle thefts.
NTJPP independent member Nick Espie, also general manager of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS), said non-government members had brought “decades of knowledge and experience of what works” to the table.
“It is deeply frustrating to see Aboriginal expertise pushed aside and ignored and instead pouring millions of dollars into the ineffective approach of over-incarcerating Aboriginal people and ignoring evidence-based approaches to addressing community safety.
“We wanted the NT government to work with us, that is what they are supposed to be committed to under the Closing the Gap Partnership Agreement,” Espie said.
“There has been no partnership, consultation or collaboration.”
It is not the first time there has been a breakdown within the NTJPP, with the Aboriginal chair of the NT Children and Families Tripartite Forum resigning in July 2026.
Rob McPhee described a “growing departure” from the NT government’s shared decision-making commitments.
The suspension is expected to last six months, but non-government members said they are willing to meet with government members and have encouraged them to use this time to “restore genuine partnership and focus on what works to reduce crime”.
The suspension will not mean a withdrawal from the work.
