Indigenous MP Resigns from NT Parliament, Accusing Government of 'Slow Genocide'
Yiŋiya Guyula, an independent member of the Northern Territory parliament and a respected Yolŋu elder from the Djambarrpuyŋu clan in east Arnhem Land, resigned on 19 August 2026 with immediate effect. In a statement delivered on Wednesday, Guyula accused the ruling Country Liberal Party (CLP) government of passing laws he described as "dehumanising, oppressing and destroying our communities and our people" and contributing to a breakdown of culture he called "becoming a slow genocide." The Guardian ABC News
Guyula said he could no longer "sit opposite a government who are not willing to listen or form partnerships" and accused the Finocchiaro government of refusing to work with First Nations people. He said he "no longer feels he can be part of the NT parliament." The Guardian NT News (Facebook)
The immediate trigger was the passage of new NT child protection legislation that had been widely criticised by communities and peak Indigenous organisations — the representative bodies that advocate on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Guyula said the Territory government changed the child protection laws "with no consultation with our communities" and ignored an appeal he made to withdraw the bill. The same legislative changes prompted the resignation last month of NT children's commissioner Shahleena Musk. The Guardian
Guyula also accused the Northern Territory government of "walking all over" his people and said Aboriginal communities have become "a political football." SBS NITV
Elected as the independent member for Nhulunbuy (now known as Mulka) in 2016, Guyula has used his parliamentary position to press for accountability on issues directly affecting First Nations communities in the Territory. His submitted written questions to the NT Parliament included inquiries to the Minister for Health about the capacity of morgues in Darwin and Nhulunbuy (Written Question 586), to the Attorney-General about full-time equivalent staffing under the Aboriginal Justice Unit (Written Question 337), to the Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Security about fracking and water security (Written Question 342), and to the Attorney-General requesting a detailed budget breakdown of funding for Aboriginal disadvantage (Written Question 459). NT Parliament
The resignation also comes at a deeply personal moment for Guyula. He noted in his resignation statement that he buried a younger brother earlier in August 2026 and that the funeral for his older brother was to begin on the following Friday. The Guardian
Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy described Guyula as "a man of great strength and leadership" with a "deeply held sense of justice." Independent senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe issued a statement in solidarity with Guyula following his resignation. The Guardian
The broader context here is a sharpening confrontation between Indigenous elected representatives and the CLP government of Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro over the trajectory of policy in areas where the Territory's First Nations population is disproportionately affected. The child protection reforms that triggered Musk's resignation and now Guyula's drew sustained criticism from peak Indigenous bodies, and Guyula's framing of their cumulative impact as "slow genocide" signals the depth of rupture between First Nations parliamentary voices and the governing majority. His departure removes a prominent independent advocate who, across a decade in the legislature, consistently used procedural tools like written questions to press for transparency on morgue capacity, Aboriginal justice staffing, fracking and water security, and the budgetary architecture of Aboriginal disadvantage funding.
What follows is a by-election for the seat of Mulka and the question of whether the Finocchiaro government adjusts its consultative posture toward First Nations communities in the wake of two high-profile resignations within a month. McCarthy's and Thorpe's responses indicate the issue is already resonating beyond Territory borders.
