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

ACT Reconciliation Council co-chair Selina Walker resigns, says government is failing on First Nation's policy Mon 1 Jun 2026 at 10:52am In short: ACT Reconciliation Council co-chair Selina Walker has resigned, saying the territory government is failing on First Nation's 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. The 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. "I won't be a yes man, I won't stand there for the pretty pictures and preach reconciliation if it's not actually happening,"Ms Walker said. "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. "That council is there to be able to give advice and guide, and when you have that available to you, should be using it." Resignation comes after eight years on council 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 any public comment about it, saying it wasn't "usual practice" to do so. An ACT government spokesperson said Ms Walker had "contributed significantly to the development of the Reconciliation Day event". "Details of her resignation is a matter for Ms Walker, and it is therefore not appropriate for the government to comment," the statement 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. "My grandmother [Aunty Agnes Shea] always made a commitment to walk alongside the government to be able to achieve true reconciliation," she said. "But for me, who's continuing her legacy and continuing those footsteps, it just doesn't feel like they're walking alongside us anymore." Government 'not standing with us anymore' 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. 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. 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 report stated that the capital's Indigenous community was "now in a worse position than when the ACT agreement was signed". Ms Walker agrees. "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," Ms Walker said. "I have chosen to resign because I can no longer, in good conscience, stand with a government that is not standing with us anymore."