It is responsible for whole-of-government coordination of policy development, program design, and service delivery for Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people, who are grouped under the term Indigenous Australians.

[1] The agency was first announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on 26 May 2019 after the return of the Liberal-National Coalition to government at the 2019 federal election.

[3][4] The National Indigenous Australians Agency was listed in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 29 May 2019, to be formally established on 1 July 2019 under the Public Service Act 1999.

As outlined in the Order, the Agency is responsible for leading and coordinating policy development, program design and implementation and service delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and providing advice to the Prime Minister and Minister for Indigenous Affairs on whole-of-government priorities.

The agency is also responsible for the promotion of reconciliation, the Closing the Gap strategy, and monitoring and evaluation of programs.