Independent Member for Kurrajong Thomas Emerson MLA is calling for a formal investigation into allegations made by the former head of the ACT Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Brendan Moyle, that senior officials within the ACT Public Service intentionally blocked work on the Government’s Closing the Gap commitments, and ignored concerns he repeatedly raised about the severe psychosocial impact this had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public servants. 

Mr Emerson said findings of the investigation needed to be made public with appropriate consequences for those involved.

”These are serious allegations of maladministration within the ACT Public Service, and they need to be thoroughly investigated,” Mr Emerson said.

“Canberrans have repeatedly elected this government with a mandate to deliver for First Nations people.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans will be deeply distressed by allegations that some of the Territory’s most senior public servants stood in the way of implementing government commitments to improve their life outcomes.”

The allegations follow the release, through a freedom of information (FOI) request lodged by Mr Emerson, of emails and briefs showing Mr Moyle had escalated concerns internally about these issues for two and a half years prior to his resignation in late 2025. 

Among the documents is a 13-page brief from September 2025, in which Mr Moyle lays out “issues and serious concerns” that have “continued to get worse” for more than two years, including a “lack of cultural capability and cultural safety” and a “lack of internal commitment to deliver on ACT Government commitments”. Mr Moyle lists among the issues experienced by his team having “insufficient resources to undertake the work”, “facing challenges and pushback, and at times flat refusal to provide data and information required to report on government commitments under the National Agreement and the ACT Agreement”, “cultural knowledge and technical advice” being “diminished and ignored”, and “structural barriers and behaviours” that “intentionally block key bodies of work”. 

As a consequence of these issues, the brief states, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in Mr Moyle’s team faced “significant and increasing work health and safety risks”, with “increasing reports of physical, mental and psychosocial stress”.

“It’s appalling that the ACT Government has apparently been comfortable with its own Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff experiencing this level of harm over such an extended period of time,” Mr Emerson said.

One document entitled ‘Protected Interest Disclosure’ has been withheld from release because it includes information “related to integrity commission matters” and risks disclosing the identity of a person “who has made a public interest disclosure under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012”.

The FOI request was submitted after Mr Moyle stated in a public hearing as part of an inquiry into Mr Emerson’s Closing the Gap Bill last year that his workplace was not culturally safe. The documents reveal Mr Moyle resigned less than a month later.

”The documents show a senior Aboriginal public servant reaching breaking point after years of unsuccessfully imploring his superiors to do their job in delivering on the ACT Government’s commitments to First Nations people, ” Mr Emerson said.

“These revelations expose a serious failure of leadership on First Nations issues at senior levels of the ACT Public Service, and explain why outcomes have gone backward since the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement was signed more than six years ago.

”What happens next is a test of leadership for the Chief Minister and his government. Why haven’t they already announced an investigation into these allegations?

”I’m calling for an urgent independent investigation with public findings. All allegations that are substantiated must be met with appropriate consequences.

“This cannot be allowed to continue. People in positions of power responsible for these failures can’t just get off scot-free while Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans are left to suffer the consequences of the Government’s inaction.” 

Media Contact: Will Devine | [email protected] | 0402 183 296