2026-10-30
The NSW Greens have condemned the record of retiring Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris, who will leave Parliament after presiding over stalled Treaty progress, failures to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage, attacks on Aboriginal land rights, the worst year on record for First Nations deaths in custody, and the introduction of laws that disproportionately imprison First Nations children
Greens MP and spokesperson for First Nations Justice Sue Higginson said:
“David Harris has been a profound disappointment as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty, and his retirement comes with a shameful legacy of failing to stand up for First Nations people when they needed him most,”
“At every turn, when his Government has made decisions that actively undermine the rights, safety and futures of First Nations people, Harris has been sitting at the Cabinet table supporting them. He has had the responsibility and the opportunity to stand up for First Nations people, and he has failed,”
“I have repeatedly questioned Minister Harris about the appalling treatment of First Nations people by his Government, and he has constantly deferred his responsibility on every issue from cultural heritage protection, to children in prison under discriminatory bail laws and deaths in custody,”
"When I questioned him about the record number of First Nations deaths in custody, he told me the response was outside his portfolio. When I challenged him about laws restricting First Nations people's rights to march and protest, he confirmed that everyone in Cabinet supported those laws. This was an extraordinary admission from the Minister who is supposed to advocate for First Nations people at the highest levels of Government,”
"Meanwhile, more than 44,000 Aboriginal land claims remain unresolved and his Government has passed retrospective laws that the NSW Aboriginal Land Council has warned weaken Aboriginal land rights. The failure has been so serious that the NSW Aboriginal Land Council has withdrawn from the Government's Closing the Gap framework,”
"David Harris will leave politics, but the consequences of the decisions he has supported will remain with First Nations people long after he is gone. His retirement should be a moment of serious reflection for the Minns Government about the harm they have caused, and the urgent responsibility they have to change course,” Ms Higginson said.