- Victoria treaty talks underway
- The opposition asks for a public role
- READ MORE: ‘Deeply worrying’ act ahead of treaty negotiations
Negotiations have begun on Australia’s first treaty with Aboriginal people, but a fight is brewing over allowing the general public to have their say.
Talks between the Victorian government and the First People’s Assembly officially began on Thursday.
The Treaty Authority will oversee the talks, acting as an independent arbitrator.
There will be no state treaty with Victoria’s indigenous people unless it is approved by parliament, but the opposition is demanding the public have the final say.
Premier Jacinta Allan said the treaty was an opportunity to deliver a better, fairer society for all Victorians, but admitted talks would be difficult.
“I remain very positive about these negotiations,” she said.
“We are considering the challenges and consequences of the unbroken line of injustice that was caused by that initial colonial dispossession.”
Allan declined to set a timeframe for how long talks could last, saying a final deal would be non-binding and would have to be approved by parliament.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says her government is fully committed to Treaty implementation
The First People’s Assembly in Victoria is made up of 33 elected representatives from across the state.
The state opposition withdrew its support for the treaty in January following the failure of a national referendum in federal parliament, citing concerns over cultural heritage laws.
Opposition leader John Pesutto said the prime minister should present any deal to the people, not just parliament.
“This is something that concerns all the people and issues of this magnitude should not be decided… simply by presenting them in parliament,” he said.
‘The prime minister knows that her government will have a majority in the lower house and that she may be able to get 21 votes in the upper house.
‘But is that enough? Is it fair to say to Victorians ‘well, we’re going to change and reform the way we’ve lived our lives in this state for generations and generations’?
“I bet Victorian people want to have a direct say in the matter.”
Members of the First Victorian People’s Assembly, Rueben Berg (right) and Aunt Esme Bamblett
He noted that the issue should be put to the people in the 2026 state election or “some other means” when asked if he would support a plebiscite.
Victoria recorded the largest ‘yes’ vote of any state, with 45.85 per cent in the voice referendum.
In late October, Queensland’s newly elected Liberal-National government ended the state’s inquiry into the truth.
The inquiry was set out in Queensland’s Treaty Road Act, which was passed by parliament with bipartisan support in 2023.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said he planned to repeal the law and suggested telling the truth would not unite the state.