The ACT's first Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People has alleged she left the "dream role" after being assaulted by a public servant.

Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul Woman Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts resigned from the role at the end of last year, having been on approved extended leave since July 2025, after taking up the position in 2024.

In a statement on Tuesday morning, she alleged she had been "subjected to sexual harassment and sexual assault in Canberra by a public servant", prompting her to step away from the role for her "physical and psychological safety" and to do what is in the "best interests of my family".

"This conduct has no place in any workplace," she said.

"Appropriate reports have been made, including to police, and these matters are now with the relevant authorities. This experience has impacted me in ways too shattering for language to fully hold."

A report last month in The Canberra Times stated several members of Canberra's First Nations community had written to the relevant minister raising concerns about Ms Turnbull-Roberts' "persistent absenteeism".

In response, she described the reporting of her absence as anything other than a matter of personal safety as both "incorrect and harmful".

"It misrepresented the reality of my decision and caused me further harm. Taking steps to protect one's health and safety should never be distorted or weaponised," the human rights lawyer said.

"No one leaves work of this significance without reason. As a survivor, a mother, and a proud Bundjalung woman, I know what it means to be unprotected in systems meant to provide care. I also know what it means to choose safety when it is not adequately provided."

The article cited a letter from early 2025 alleging Ms Turnbull-Roberts had a "part-time presence" in Canberra and claiming, "...there has been growing disquiet in the ACT First Nations community about the effectiveness of the [Commissioner and her office]".

Responding, Ms Turnbull-Roberts said: "I escaped the child 'protection' system at 18, after being forcibly removed from my family and communities at 10 because of racism. I have lived what children and families endure inside these systems. My focus since has never wavered: human rights, Indigenous rights, children's safety, and defending mothers and families."

"During my tenure, I witnessed extraordinary courage. I sat with children and young people so often dismissed or silenced and watched them speak with clarity, strength, and spirit. I saw, firsthand, the power of culture and language as protection."

The commissioner's role was created as an independent statutory position following a recommendation from the Our Booris, Our Way report, which examined ways to reduce the overrepresentation of First Nations children in the ACT child protection system.

Ms Turnbull-Roberts said her team made "strong public submissions and made headway on important work," including efforts to address child sexual exploitation, family policing, out-of-home care and failures in the criminal justice system.

"We named harm truthfully, and we placed critical issues on the public record. I am deeply proud of what was built together, shaped by care, courage, and love for our children," she added.

"Watching my daughter play, I thought about what I would want her to know: we do not have to tolerate danger, we are allowed to leave, and our safety is never negotiable."

An acting commissioner, Barbara Causon, who was part of the Our Booris Our Way committee, was appointed in October last year.

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