Margaret White and Mick Gooda will replace Brian Ross Martin to lead the NT Royal Commission
UPDATE: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner Mick Gooda and Justice Margaret White have been named co-commissioners to head the royal commission into detention centre abuse in the Northern Territory.
The pair will replace the former commissioner head who resigned just four days after his appointment.
Former NT chief justice Brian Martin, the man appointed to head a Royal Commission into the abuse of youths at the Northern Territory's Don Dale detention centre, resigned this morning.
Mr Martin quit the role before the commission had even started, saying he does not have the confidence of sections of the Indigenous community.
Mr Martin confirmed his resignation in Canberra on Monday.
He said it would not be in the public interest for him to continue to lead the royal commission.
"Since my appointment was announced I have been extremely disappointed with the disingenuous and ill-informed comment that has ensued," he said.
"However, notwithstanding the ill-informed nature of the commentary, it has become apparent that, rightly or wrongly, in this role I would not have the full confidence of sections of the Indigenous community which has a vital interest in the inquiry.
"As a consequence, the effectiveness of the Commission is likely to be compromised from the outset."
Mr Martin was appointed to the role last week, only days after Four Corners made revelations of apparent systematic abuse at NT detention centres.
Mr Martin had earlier been beset by claims he had a conflict of interest in taking on the job. His daughter, Joanna Martin, served as a justice adviser to the former Labor NT Attorney-General Delia Lawrie from 2009 until 2011.
The Royal Commission will cover the time in which she worked for the former Labor government.
However, Mr Martin said on Monday he did not intend his resignation to signal he doubted his ability to remain "both independent and competent in the role. Nor, he said, did he intend the resignation to be taken as a criticism of the government.
"They (Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Attorney-General George Brandis) have demonstrated a deep concern about the issues involved and a desire to proceed efficiently and appropriately," Mr Martin said.
He took aim at "those who got their facts wrong" when criticising his suitability for the job. He also said it was wrong for criticism of him to extend to his family, particularly his daughter.
"Finally, it is appropriate to comment on the suggestion that if I was the Royal Commissioner it is likely that I would ignore or give insufficient attention to Indigenous issues," Mr Martin said.
"This suggestion is wrong. While this Royal Commission is about all children, not just Indigenous children, I am acutely aware of the importance of Indigenous issues in the contexts of child protection and child detention."
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wasted little time in announcing a Royal Commission into youth detention centres in the Northern Territory after the ABC broadcast shocking pictures of the treatment of some children behind their walls.
The revelations of young men being strapped into chairs or tear gassed prompted widespread condemnation, and sparked a political nightmare for the the Northern Territory government.
However, the royal commissioned announced just a day later by Mr Turnbull has also hit trouble early, with several criticism about a lack of Indigenous consultation and concerns over Mr Martin's suitability for the role.
