Sue-Anne Hunter says new powers will let her ‘hold systems to account’ for First Nations kids

Australia’s national children’s commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people says new legislation has given her the independence needed to push governments on child protection and youth justice, as she begins the role with a focus on accountability and lived experience.

Sue-Anne Hunter, a Wurundjeri and Ngurai Illum Wurrung woman, was appointed as the inaugural National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People last year, after the National Commission was first established as an executive agency in early 2025. In recent weeks, parliament passed laws intended to enshrine the commission as an independent office.

Ms Hunter said the shift was “historic”. “It means we can actually hold systems to account around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in this country that we know are failing,” she said.

In parliament, Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said the legislation was shaped through consultation, including advice from more than 70 Aboriginal community-controlled organisations. “This bill is incredibly important, it is important because we are listening to what the communities have been asking for a long time” Senator McCarthy said.

In an interview with the Guardian, Ms Hunter described carrying the stories of children affected by removal, incarceration and trauma and said the work changes you. “You can’t do that work and not be changed” she said.

Parliamentary briefing material on the bill points to persistent overrepresentation of First Nations children in out-of-home care and youth detention, noting that progress against key Closing the Gap targets has stalled or gone backwards in child protection, safety and justice.

Ms Hunter has said her approach will be to bring children’s voices into policy conversations, while building trust with communities and organisations already working on the ground. She has also flagged a long-term ambition for the commission to make itself redundant. “I’m hoping eventually we do ourselves out of the job, and we don’t need it” she said.

The new laws are aligned with the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Australia’s obligations under major human rights conventions, and are intended to prioritise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing.

For Ms Hunter, the promise of independence is practical as well as symbolic: the ability to scrutinise government-run systems, publish findings and press for change, while keeping the experiences of children and families central to decision-making.