Former ALP National President Warren Mundine has been criticised for his comments on the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

Mr. Mundine, while not calling for the removal of the Tent Embassy, has questioned it's relevance.

"They need to celebrate what that cause did for us.

"I am a benefactor of that, I wouldn't be sitting here today if it wasn't for the Tent Embassy and the people that did that.

"But for the last 20 years it has become irrelevant and it has been hijacked by people who want to stick their own agendas on it."

But Mr. Mundine and other prominent Aboriginal people who've made similar comments have been criticized by Embassy members as being government-approved Aboriginal spokespeople, who are rolled out by governments when needed.

Tent Embassy spokesperson say Mark McMurtrie says Mr. Mundine has no mandate to speak for the majority of Aboriginal people and is disconnected from Indigenous communities.

Les Malezer, who was elected to the position of the Congress of Australia's First People's Co-Chairperson, says the Embassy is more relevant than ever.

"In the last few years we have seen examples of State and Territory Governments, not the Commonwealth Government, passing what are bad laws through bad political processes, undemocratic processes.

"These processes would not be used to pass laws about white people in this country and [the Governments] are taking back control over the services and organisations that our people have set up over the last 40 years."

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott yesterday said conditions for Aboriginal people had improved since the Embassy was set up 40 years ago and Indigenous Australians should move on.

Tent Embassy members interpreted this as calling for the embassy to be removed, which lead to yesterday's protest.