Three Aboriginal Northern Territory councils have threatened to disrupt the federal government's new $2.6 billion remote jobs program after they claim they were shut out of the process because they were "not Aboriginal enough".

The East Arnhem, Roper Gulf and Victoria Daly regional councils — which together represent more than 20 remote Indigenous communities across thousands of square kilometres — each missed out on multi-million-dollar grants to roll out the Remote Australia Employment Service (RAES).

The RAES is set to replace the widely criticised Community Development Program (CDP) on November 1, but the councils say they will revoke dozens of critical leases needed to run the new scheme in their communities.

In a letter seen by the ABC, the East Arnhem Regional Council (EARC) noti

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