On 31 October 2025, the Safe and Supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group (Leadership Group) joined Community Services Ministers from across Australia in Sydney on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation for a Safe and Supported Shared Decision-Making Committee (the Committee) meeting.
The Committee reaffirmed their shared commitment to ensuring children and young people across Australia grow up safe, connected, and supported in their family, community, and culture. They agreed to prioritise increasing programs that help families on the ground, guided by Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2021-2031.
The Commonwealth, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group and most jurisdictions endorsed the National Child and Family Investment Strategy (the Strategy) to shift investment towards prevention and supports for children and families to heal.
Committee members spoke about the importance of early intervention support, the importance of keeping children with their families and the critical need to invest in transitional funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisations. The Committee discussed the importance of this transition to occur through partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled sector, and noted governments' commitment through the Strategy to develop implementation plans in partnership with the sector within 12 months.
The Committee discussed priorities for Safe and Supported for the next 12 months and acknowledged that Target 12 - reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45% by 2031 is off-track. The Committee agreed that further urgent and collective action is needed.
The Committee discussed that addressing over-representation requires a focus on the whole child and family to meet holistic needs from pre-birth and at every stage of development for children. This requires joined up efforts across departments and jurisdictions.
The Committee welcomed the appointment of Sue-Anne Hunter as the inaugural National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People.
The Commonwealth, the Aboriginal Leadership Group and some States and Territories have endorsed the Minimum Requirements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Commissioners. The Minimum Requirements are intended to guide the work of jurisdictions to ensure that Commissioners for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are independent, effective and appropriately empowered.
The Committee discussed how each state and territory government is working to establish or strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Commissioners, or similar roles, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.
The Committee agreed that the Leadership Group and jurisdictions would work with the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in out-of-home care.
Lastly the Committee discussed the update to be provided at the upcoming meeting of Joint Council on Closing the Gap in November 2025 on barriers and opportunities to addressing Target 12 through Safe and Supported and the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership.
