Submission: Inquiry into Public Sector (Closing the Gap) Amendment Bill 2025
2 October 2025
In supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander determination, ACTCOSS continues to be guided by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body (ATSIEB; The Elected Body), Ngunnawal Elders, the ACT’s existing ACCOs and the broader community of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with connections to the lands of the ACT and region.
Our submission broadly supports the Amendment Bill, with our primary recommendation being that the Committee proceed with the Bill and carefully monitor its implementation to ensure its intent is realised.
We note that members of the Elected Body, both past and present, alongside Ngunnawal Elders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community leaders have expressed strong support for the Bill though an open letter to the Assembly. The Elected Body’s recommendation to pass the Bill is not just a policy suggestion — it is an expression of their leadership role already recognised in ACT law. By listening to and acting on this advice, the Assembly has the opportunity to give meaningful effect to its own commitments. Passing the Bill would not only support self-determination in principle but demonstrate it in practice.