A STRATEGY to tackle child sex abuse in Aboriginal communities has failed despite the investment of tens of millions in taxpayer dollars over five years to address the problem, a scathing report by the NSW Ombudsman has found.

The assessment of 12 Aboriginal communities in NSW found the former Labor government's approach to addressing child sex abuse had done little to help reduce the number of reported incidents. Aboriginal children were still dramatically over-represented as victims of child sex abuse.

NSW Ombudsman Bruce Barbour has warned the state against simply pouring more money into programs. Credit:Peter Rae

And the Ombudsman, Bruce Barbour, has warned the state government against simply pouring more money into programs without a proper evaluation of their effectiveness. His 93 recommendations include better monitoring and accountability of services.

In 2011, more than half the 8857 victims of sexual abuse in NSW were children under the age of 16. Aboriginal children represented 10 per cent of all child abuse victims, despite making up just 4 per cent of the child population.