Arabic version: لجنة العدالة في الإقليم الشمالي تعلّق مشاركتها بسبب تجاهل المشورة

According to The Guardian, seven members of the Northern Territory Justice Policy Partnership have suspended their participation for six months, saying there has been a breakdown in genuine dialogue, partnership and shared decision-making with the territory government. An eighth member resigned independently on Thursday and a ninth resigned in July, leaving one member remaining.

The non-government panel, formed in 2023 under the Closing the Gap agreement, includes independent justice experts and representatives of Aboriginal community-controlled organisations. It was tasked with developing practical, evidence-based responses to the over-representation of First Nations adults and young people in the justice system. In a letter sent on Thursday night, members said their input had repeatedly been set aside and they had not received an adequate response to concerns raised in letters in October 2024 and May 2025.

Co-chair Matthew Connop said the Finocchiaro government had ignored advice on crucial policy reform. He said members did not want to leave the table but could not remain if their advice was ignored and their presence was used to imply support for decisions they did not back. The group said its six-month pause was not a withdrawal from the work and invited the government to restore genuine partnership and focus on measures that reduce crime.

Attorney general Marie-Clare Boothby said in a public statement on Friday that the CLP government had been elected to reduce crime. She said organisations funded by taxpayers could make their own choices, but that Territorians had demanded “no more coddling criminals, no more talk-fests, and no more identity politics”. Boothby said the government was working to reduce crime, rebuild the economy and restore the Territory lifestyle.

The dispute follows other high-profile departures. Senior Larrakia and Warramunga man Dr Richard Fejo resigned from the Darwin Waterfront Corporation in late 2024 over the government’s move to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 10. In July, children’s commissioner Shahleena Musk resigned over child protection law changes, while Danila Dilba Aboriginal Health Services chief executive Rob McPhee stepped down as independent Aboriginal chair of the NT children and families tripartite forum.