Thomas brought forward a motion on behalf of local First Nations community leaders, calling on the Government to establish a Board of Inquiry into the treatment of Aboriginal detainees in the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC).

Thomas brought forward a motion on behalf of local First Nations community leaders, calling on the Government to establish a Board of Inquiry into the treatment of Aboriginal detainees in the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC). 

In the ACT, Indigenous people are 22.7 times more likely to be incarcerated than non-Indigenous people — the largest gap in the country. Three Aboriginal detainees recently died at the AMC over a six-month period. Thomas is of the view that a prison sentence should absolutely not be a death sentence, and urgent action is required to address the systemic issues that have resulted in these tragedies.  

The motion passed unanimously with minor amendments from the Corrections Minister, Marisa Paterson MLA. The amended motion requires the Government to expedite the coronial inquests that are under way; to consider the findings of the Jumbunna Institute review into the over-representation of First Nations people in the ACT criminal justice system; and to report back to the Assembly on the last sitting day of September 2025 with the date the Board of Inquiry will commence, and when the final report will be provided.