NIAA CEO Jody Broun to Step Down in August 2025

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Jody Broun, Chief Executive Officer of the National Indigenous Australians Agency, will resign on August 29, 2025, after leading significant reforms for Indigenous communities.

Jody Broun, a Yindjibarndi woman from Western Australia’s Pilbara region, has announced her resignation as Chief Executive Officer of the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), effective August 29, 2025, as reported by the Ministers’ Media Centre on August 4, 2025. Broun, who assumed the role in February 2022, has been a pivotal figure in reshaping government engagement with Indigenous Australians, driving policy reforms and community-led initiatives. Her departure follows a tenure marked by achievements but also scrutiny over the agency’s performance under the Albanese government’s oversight.

During her leadership, Broun championed reforms to enhance self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including replacing the Community Development Program and establishing the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme, funded at $378.6 million over five years, according to the NIAA Corporate Plan 2022-23. She also expanded the Indigenous Rangers Program and negotiated the National Strategy for Food Security in Remote First Nations Communities, as noted by Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy. Broun’s efforts shifted over half of NIAA’s staff to regional offices, strengthening ties with remote communities, per the Ministers’ Media Centre. However, concerns emerged in June 2025 when an Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report revealed that two-thirds of federal contracts, worth $70 billion, bypassed Indigenous employment rules, with only one in five contracts monitored for compliance, as reported by the National Indigenous Times.

Senator McCarthy praised Broun’s commitment to community-led co-design and economic empowerment, stating that she guided the NIAA through a period of positive change, according to the Ministers’ Media Centre. Critics, however, argue that the Albanese government’s broader Indigenous affairs agenda has faced challenges in delivering measurable outcomes, with the Closing the Gap strategy showing mixed progress. The NIAA, established in 2019 under the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC), will begin recruiting a new CEO in the coming weeks, as confirmed by the government.

Broun’s exit marks the end of a significant chapter for the NIAA, leaving a legacy of reform amid ongoing debates about the effectiveness of government policies in addressing Indigenous disparities. Her contributions, particularly in fostering partnerships, set a foundation for future leadership to build upon.