Tie federal funding to justice reform: Peak bodies demand urgent action

The Coalition of Peaks stands in full solidarity with the Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory (APONT) and the Northern Territory communities mourning the tragic and preventable deaths of two Aboriginal men in police custody.

“These deaths are not isolated,” Pat Turner AM, Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, said. "They are the outcome of a system that continues to criminalise, rather than care for, our people. We stand with APONT in demanding immediate police reform and an independent investigation. Enough is enough.”

The Coalition of Peaks echoes the words of Dr John Paterson, APONT Chair: “Every time an Aboriginal person dies in custody, the Government says, ‘never again’. But here we are again... This is a national shame, and it has to stop.”

Ms Turner stressed that real change will only happen when governments are held accountable through conditional funding tied to reform, and when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations are properly resourced to lead.

“We don’t want more blank cheques to state governments,” said Ms Turner. “We want funding tied to outcomes that serve our people. Invest in us so we can lead the change in the areas that affect our lives.”

The Coalition of Peaks supports APONT’s call for systemic change in the Northern Territory. Our people must be at the centre of leading the change that affects our lives.

We reject a culture of impunity that continues to cost lives and devastate families. The status quo is not broken – it is functioning as designed. This must end, and a deep, structural reform must begin.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and communities affected. The time for polite inaction is over. Our people are dying. The Northern Territory Government must act now – on police reform, on justice, and on the calls from our communities,” said Ms Turner.

Like APONT, the Coalition of Peaks is clear: justice systems must be reformed to reflect the inherent rights, dignity, and self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

We support the urgent call for an independent inquiry into both deaths and genuine action, not rhetoric. Systems, policies, and governance must evolve; government must evolve.