4 September, 2026
The NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) has withdrawn from the NSW Closing the Gap framework following ongoing failures by the NSW Government to deliver genuine partnership, shared decision-making and accountability.
NSWALC will cease participating and will end the NSW Closing the Gap Partnership Grant 2025–28 Funding Agreement from 31 October 2026.
The failure to deliver reform is clear across the Land Rights Network:
- More than 43,000 Aboriginal land claims remain unresolved in NSW. No claims have been determined since the 3 June 2026, following the worst year for determinations since 2019.
- Aboriginal Land Agreements have been available under legislation since 2014, yet their implementation remains limited and inconsistent.
- Major reforms arising from the 2021 review of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act remain outstanding.
- Section 21AA of the Fisheries Management Act, passed by the NSW Parliament in 2009 to recognise Aboriginal cultural fishing, has never commenced. Aboriginal fishers remain exposed to legal uncertainty while new fisheries laws affecting their rights progress without any consultation.
- The NSW Government ignored NSWALC’s 2025–26 Closing the Gap budget proposal for essential housing reform and again denied the Land Rights Network funding in the 2026–27 State Budget, despite the Network managing in excess of 60 per cent of Aboriginal housing in NSW. Instead, the Government directed investment towards its own housing stock, exposing a clear failure to support the Aboriginal community-controlled sector.
- Comprehensive reform of the Aboriginal cultural heritage system has stalled.
The concerns being raised across communities are unmistakable, a growing land claims backlog, the continued criminalisation of Aboriginal cultural fishing, no dedicated housing investment and long-promised reforms left unfinished.
The decision reflects systemic concerns about the Government’s delivery of Priority Reforms 1 to 3, including:
- Policies and legislation progressing without genuine or timely consultation.
- Aboriginal organisations not being treated as equal partners.
- Government systems failing to support Aboriginal self-determination.
- No independent, Aboriginal-led body with enough authority to hold government accountable.
This is not a withdrawal from Aboriginal advocacy, from collective action or from engagement with government, but we are refusing to lend legitimacy to arrangements which are not delivering. Aboriginal communities should not be expected to keep giving their time and expertise to structures which fail to deliver meaningful change.
NSWALC will remain an active member of the NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations (CAPO) and continue working with NSW CAPO on shared priorities and collective advocacy.
NSWALC remain committed to working with the NSW Government where that engagement advances Aboriginal interests and provides a genuine opportunity to achieve reform.
Our focus remains on outcomes, not participation in a framework for its own sake.