The administration offices of the APY Lands in Umuwa have been raided by South Australian police.

On Wednesday officers removed boxes of documentation and told staff to vacate the premises during the action.

The raids follow governance issues at the APY Lands since 2012 and multiple investigations, one which forced the exit of general manager Richard King after an inquiry by conciliator Greg Rooney found the recruitment process of a new general manager in breach of APY Lands code of conduct.

The police raids come after the National Indigenous Times revealed last week a South Australian parliamentary inquiry examining governance and alleged corruption issues in APY Lands had been halted at the eleventh hour.

The move to shut down the inquiry by eight members of SA's Budget and Finance Committee was described as politically motivated, with allegations Aboriginal Affairs minister and SA deputy premier Kyam Maher helped stifle the probe.

The APY Executive Board is currently under control of government appointee and administrator Austin Taylor after being suspended in August due to governance concerns detailed in a report by Mr Rooney.

The Board and related agencies had suffered instability and loss of local control since 2010 due to a lack of governance, capability and regulatory oversight.

An SA Budget and Finance Parliamentary briefing note seen by National Indigenous Times detailed some of quashed inquiry's scope, including allegations of corruption, maladministration, and constitutional irregularities in the governance of the APY Lands.

It is not the first time Mr Maher has been caught in the crossfire of a cancelled inquiry, with the politician opposed to a 2021 governance inquiry into Aboriginal spending across SA, before he axed the Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee soon after Labor came to power in 2022.

Mr Maher did not respond to the claims regarding the halting of the inquiry last week.

Liberal MLC and committee members Frank Pangallo said disadvantaged people of the APY Lands had nowhere to turn for help, "not even Parliament", after Friday's inquiry was halted.

"This was a deliberate, politically-motivated move to avoid any scrutiny of [Minister] Maher and his department before the 2026 election," Mr Pangallo alleged.

Corruption and mismanagement was to be alleged at the inquiry, including unexplained legal expenditures exceeding $1.2 million over two years, reportedly used to suppress internal dissent and avoid scrutiny.

The briefing note was scathing of the APY Lands' governance.

"Evidence points to systemic dysfunction, financial mismanagement, and potential corruption involving senior officials, advisers, and publicly funded agencies responsible for administering the region," it read.

"Initial reforms that strengthened housing, land tenure, and service delivery have collapsed under political and bureaucratic interference."

Years of administrative breakdown had led to social and economic issues for the APY people, whose residents described violence, despair, and neglect in the years following.

"Essential services, particularly housing, employment, and health, have deteriorated amid ongoing governance failures," the briefing note said.

"Many respected local leaders and community members have been sidelined or silenced, eroding confidence in local representation."

The suspension of questionable administrative arrangements pending the outcome of investigations, and restoring transparent, accountable, and locally-led governance models, were urged.

"Taxpayers have a right to transparency in how funds are spent in the APY Lands," the briefing note concluded.

"Parliament has a responsibility to restore lawful, transparent administration that respects both Aboriginal self-determination and the rule of law."

A spokesperson for SA Police told National Indigenous Times: "On Wednesday 19 November 2025, detectives from SAPOL's Anti-Corruption Section executed search warrants on a number of premises in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands, including the administration offices in Umuwa."

"The searches were in response to an investigation being undertaken by SAPOL. Given the matter is still under investigation no further comment will be made at this time," the police spokesperson said.

The Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara was incorporated by the 1981 APY Lands Land Rights Act when the SA Parliament gave Aboriginal people title to more than 103,000sqkm of arid land in far north-west SA, with all Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra people who are Traditional Owners of any part of the lands members of APY.

This report was updated at 1.04pm WST to include the SA Police response.