The Northern Land Council chairman, Galarrwuy Yunupingu, has resigned, saying he wants to concentrate on business interests and his family.

Mr Yunupingu has been a council member for 24 years, most of that time as chairman.

He says it is time for new blood to cope with the changing political scene.

The former Australian of the Year says his biggest frustration has been the lack of commitment from the federal and territory governments.

"They're all the same," he said.

"It's not being fair dinkum about Aboriginal Indigenous services.

"The infrastructure is not in place as policies.

"There're no guidelines for any government in power.

"I think the frustration actually is that we're the secondary people."

He says both the Liberal and Labor parties must change their attitude to Aboriginal issues.

"They pour in so much money into war zones and other indigenous people overseas yet our own Indigenous people suffer and remain the same as we were 100 years ago," he said.