In documents seen by AAP, the NT government wants to make amendments to child protection laws to give courts the power to override Aboriginal Placement Principles under a "special and exceptional circumstance" provision.
The changes will allow courts to override a section of the law that ensures all efforts are made to place Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with family or at least close to Country.
The Office of the Children's Commissioner were briefed about the draft legislation on Friday.
NT Children's Commissioner and Larrakia woman Shahleena Musk said "no evidence has been forthcoming" to explain the changes, or why they need to be introduced urgently.
NT Children's Commissioner Shahleena Musk is 'alarmed' by a lack of consultation on reforms. ((A)manda Parkinson/AAP PHOTOS)
"I am alarmed at the lack of consultation on the proposed amendments ... that will impact the basic rights of Aboriginal children," Ms Musk said.
"It is the birthright of Aboriginal children to be connected to their family, country, community, language and culture."
About 90 per cent of the 900 children in out-of-home care arrangements in the Northern Territory are Aboriginal.
Ms Musk said in 2022-23 only 23.8 per cent of Aboriginal children were placed with Aboriginal relatives or kin and recent reports show that figure is going backwards.
Data from her office shows the NT notifies child protection authorities of alleged harm at six times the national average.
In 2024, 81 per cent of harm notifications to child protection in the NT related to Aboriginal children, totalling 18,321 reports of neglect or abuse.
Indigenous human rights advocate Hannah McGlade said research showed culture was a "protective factor" for kids in care.
"We have national targets to close the gap on Aboriginal child removals and these kinds of reforms are doing nothing to address that," she told AAP.
"In fact, they're only going to make it worse."
The placement principles stem from an inquiry into the stolen generation, commonly known as the 1997 Bringing Them Home Report, Dr McGlade said.
"It was found that Aboriginal child removal was an official policy of the government for over 100 years across Australia and thousands of Aboriginal children were removed from their mothers," she said.
"The (Australian) Human Rights Commission found that was a very, very clear finding of genocide and adopted the Aboriginal child placement principle ... which is now in every state and territory's legislation across Australia."
Dr McGlade said the "retrograde" policy from the Country Liberal Party was a form of virtue signalling it had accused Labor of and only demonstrated the party was "unfit to govern".
The Department of Children and Families said it remained "committed to the safety and wellbeing of children", but would not comment on why it had decided to amend the act.
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