Rallies will be held in Darwin, Alice Springs and Sydney on Tuesday, demanding the federal government take action against the Northern Territory Government.
Since winning office in a landslide last year, the Country Liberal Party (CLP) has introduced a suite of "tough on crime" measures — including lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 10, reintroducing spit hoods in youth detention, and expanding mandatory sentencing. The policies have been widely condemned by human rights groups, Indigenous organisations and legal advocates.
First Nations-led organisation Change the Record said communities strongly opposed the Territory government's "harsh and regressive" laws, which it argued were fuelling "Black incarceration, systemic racism, and Black deaths in custody". The group also accused the federal government of "silence" and "inaction", saying it had enabled the CLP's approach.
"This is a moment for our leaders to deliver on the promise of a fairer, more compassionate Australia; starting with our children," Change the Record CEO Jade Lane said.
"It means listening to community, listening to Elders, and listening to those who have lived through the harm caused by carceral systems."
She added the federal government must treat the growing protest movement with "urgency" and hold states and territories accountable by "fully implementing the UN's recommendations, sanctioning the NT Government and any government that fails to protect children, and tying federal funding to compliance with human rights".
The CLP has also faced backlash over its refusal to hold an independent investigation into the death in custody of 24-year-old disabled Warlpiri man Kumanjayi White, who died in May after being restrained by police. Advocates say his death highlights systemic failures in policing and the criminalisation of disability.
His grandfather, Warlpiri Elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, said he would travel to Darwin to protest "how badly Yapa are being treated by the CLP government".
"They are really racist and out of control. They need to go. My people are strongly supporting this protest," he said.
The family has launched legal action against the NT Government, with NT Police refusing to name or stand down the officers allegedly involved in Mr White's death more than three months on.
"We still have no justice; the police officer involved in his death is still walking around, doing his job. This is a disgrace. He needs to be stood down immediately," Mr Hargraves said.
"We need to see the CCTV footage — why are the police hiding this from us? And we still demand an independent investigation. How can we trust the police? They are killing my people. The Prime Minister has the power to step in and make a difference. He needs to act now."
Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy has become more vocal about the NT's direction, and last month said she raised "very clear" concerns with Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro over the use of watch houses for youths and the return of spit hoods.
"The Northern Territory has the worst outcomes when it comes to Closing the Gap. I have listened to the concerns of the First Nations sector, legal organisations and human rights groups," she said.
Both Senator McCarthy and Labor MP Marion Scrymgour also voiced support for an independent investigation into Mr White's death; remarks dismissed as "uneducated" by Ms Finocchiaro.
Meanwhile, tensions flared at last month's Standing Council of Attorneys-General (SCAG) meeting, when federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland pressed states and territories over soaring Indigenous incarceration rates.
In response, the CLP argued Closing the Gap targets "cannot come at the expense of community safety". Since January, more than 3,300 people have been refused bail under "Declan's Law," a 44 per cent rise compared with Labor's last year in office, alongside a 40 per cent increase in remand numbers. Aboriginal people make up nearly 90 per cent of the NT prison population.
Natalie Hunter, a spokesperson for community group Justice not Jails, called the "harm and torture" inflicted by the Finocchiaro government "disgusting", arguing that it "breaks my heart".
Despite decades of reports and inquiries, she said the NT government has continued to refuse to "sit down and work with Aboriginal people to support our children".
"How much more damage can the CLP do in the three years they have left? We need leadership from the Federal Government. What happens in the Territory is their direct responsibility," Ms Hunter said.
With nearly 80 per cent of the NT's budget federally funded, the Commonwealth has significant leverage, and Senator McCarthy previously warned that funding strings could be used to push reform, saying "the balance of incarceration is far outweighing efforts to keep the community safe".
Change the Record has called for a meeting between the Prime Minister, Senator McCarthy, Chief Minister Finocchiaro and NT community leaders to "address the human rights crisis caused by the CLP".
"This week marks one year since the CLP came to power in the NT — it has been one year too many," the group said.
"The Finocchiaro Government must be held to account. It's time for the Albanese government to uphold human rights in the Northern Territory."
