'I won't be a yes man': Co-chair of ACT Reconciliation council resigns

Selina Walker says there has been a failure to take practical steps towards reconciliation. (ABC News: Simon Beardsell) ACT Reconciliation Council co-chair Selina Walker has resigned, saying the territory government is failing on First Nations policy. Her departure has been made public as the ACT marks today's Reconciliation Day public holiday — a key event the council provides advice on. It follows the resignation of Brendan Moyle, the former head of the ACT Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, who stood down at the end of last year. Link copiedShareShare articleThe co-chair of the ACT Reconciliation Council, Selina Walker, has resigned, saying she has lost faith in the territory government's approach to Indigenous affairs. Ms Walker was the only Ngunnawal representative on the body, which has advised the government since 2018 on how to progress reconciliation. "The decisions that I've seen over the past 12 to 18 months [do] not align with my morals and values nor the morals and values of my elders that have taught me." Ms Walker said there had been a failure to take practical steps towards reconciliation, citing a lack of progress on the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm, management of the Boomanalla Oval, and broader funding decisions. "I feel incredibly disrespected, not only as a Ngunnawal traditional owner, but as a co-chair of the Reconciliation Council," she said. Selina Walker was named the ACT Local Hero in 2024 for her kinship care, advocacy and extensive community work. (Supplied: NADC/Salty Dingo) Ms Walker's resignation has been made public as the territory marks today's Reconciliation Day public holiday — a key event the council provides advice on. She informed the ACT government of her decision at the start of April but they did not make a public announcement about it, with a spokesperson telling the ABC it was not "usual practice to comment on the resignation of a member of a government advisory council". Jaharn grew up in foster care from 2-years of age. Now 19, he and his foster Mum share their lessons of love. "Ms Walker … contributed significantly to the development of the Reconciliation Day event," the spokesperson said. Ms Walker served eight years in the ACT Reconciliation Council, and had been a founding member. Her advocacy, extensive community work and kinship care saw her named ACT Local Hero in 2024. She is also the chair of the Yerrabi Yurwang Child and Family Aboriginal Corporation, which has been closed temporarily due to a lack of funding. Selina Walker is also chair of Yerrabi Yurwang Child and Family Aboriginal Corporation. (ABC News: Toby Hunt) "My grandmother [Aunty Agnes Shea] always made a commitment to walk alongside the government to be able to achieve true reconciliation," she said. The ACT government's record on Indigenous affairs has been brought into question before. From July, senior ACT public servants will be required to uphold a "Closing the Gap principle" — laws passed in the Legislative Assembly to combat previous policy failures. And Ms Walker's resignation follows that of Brendan Moyle, the former head of the ACT Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, who resigned at the end of 2025. Kamilaroi/Gomeroi man Brendan Moyle resigned from the ACT Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs in November. (ABC News: Stuart Carnegie) Mr Moyle said throughout his two-and-a-half-year tenure, issues of discrimination, racism and the lack of cultural safety for Indigenous staff were not properly addressed. The allegations have since been referred to the ACT Public Sector Standards Commission. Do you know more? Contact James Vyver on encrypted email. Please note end-to-end encryption is only possible with your own encrypted email system like Protonmail account. Mr Moyle was particularly critical of the progress made on the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement, signed between the ACT government and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body in 2019. A key principle of the agreement is "a self-determined and inclusive society where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are valued, respected, and experience a life free of racism and systemic discrimination". In December 2025, the elected body reported that four of the 22 targets were being met, four were not on track, eight were worsening, and a further six targets did not have published data for assessment. The ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement was signed between the ACT government and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body in 2019. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) The report stated that the capital's Indigenous community was "now in a worse position than when the ACT agreement was signed". "Even though they've made commitments under those agreements and reforms, the decisions that they're making are not actually aligning with what they've been saying that's coming out of their mouths,"

'I won't be a yes man': Co-chair of ACT Reconciliation council resigns

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