How Aboriginal people are being given $50 vouchers to share treaty ideas
Aboriginal people in Victoria are being lured into attending ‘mob only’ treaty talks with the promise of a $50 voucher as the state looks to sign Australia’s first treaty with Indigenous citizens.
The state’s First Peoples’ Assembly, first elected by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2019, has been charged with negotiating a treaty with the Victorian government – the first of its kind in Australia.
However, only 10 percent of voters turned out at the most recent election in 2023, compared to just seven percent in 2019, leading to criticism that Victoria’s Indigenous people are not interested in a treaty.
Despite this, Jacinta Allan’s Labor government in Victoria is pushing ahead with negotiations, which started in November.
Now it appears the state-funded First People’s Assembly is offering $50 vouchers to people who attend their “treaty meeting” events.
“Statewide Treaty negotiations are officially underway,” reads a recent advertisement for an event in Stawell, a town 150 miles northwest of Melbourne.
“We must continue to hear your killer ideas and feedback to help us every step of the way and make this Treaty strong.
“This Treaty Meeting is an opportunity for the gang in the Northwest region to come together, engage with your elected Assembly members, share a feed, learn more about the Treaty and have your say.
The state’s First Peoples’ Assembly, first elected by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2019, has been charged with negotiating a treaty with the Victorian government – the first of its kind in Australia
Now the state-funded First People’s Assembly appears to be offering $50 vouchers to all Aboriginal people attending their ‘mob only Treaty meeting’ events (pictured)
“Registered attendees will receive a $50 voucher during the event.”
The event, which has been postponed from Jan. 18 due to fires in the region, is listed as being for “mob only” guests.
Non-Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander caregivers and support staff may attend.
The assembly’s social media pages recently emphasized that they are “always engaging with the community across the state to ensure the Treaty is inclusive.”
Daniel Wild, deputy director of the Institute of Public Affairs, said the voucher program reflects the divisive agenda Victorians expect from their state government.
“That Jacinta Allan has to bribe Victorians to attend such events shows how little support there is for so-called ‘treaty negotiations’ among mainstream Victorians,” Wild told Daily Mail Australia.
“Victorians voted against this divisive agenda and emphatically rejected the Voice referendum that sought to divide us on racial grounds.
“Mainstream Victorians understand that there is more that unites us than divides us.”
Despite a lack of public support, Jacinta Allan’s Labor government in Victoria continues negotiations on the treaty (photo: Prime Minister Allan’s predecessor Dan Andrews at the First Peoples’ Assembly)
Non-Indigenous people can attend the ‘Treaty Day Out’ arts and music festival in Gippsland on February 8. But they have to pay almost $80 for the privilege, while the indigenous people go free
Sky News presenter Andrew Bolt claimed the financial incentive amounted to ‘Labour bribing people to join a race movement’.
Non-Indigenous people can attend the ‘Treaty Day Out’ arts and music festival in Gippsland on February 8.
The only catch is that they have to pay $80 for a ticket, while Aboriginal people get in for free.
The event, which will feature performances from Troy Cassar-Daley and Electric Fields, among others, will have separate ‘tix for mob’ and ‘tix for allies’ ticket options.
“As always, tickets are FREE for those registered at the Assembly,” the event page reads.
While non-indigenous visitors have to pay $75, plus a $4.39 booking fee.
A similar event held in Wyndham in November, where Indigenous people could attend for free while everyone else had to fork out $50, led to accusations of “reverse racism.”
“It’s like saying, ‘You poor black man, you can’t afford to go,'” an Aboriginal man told the local news outlet Wyndham TV.
“It’s a woke vision that’s spiraling out of control. It reinforces a “poor you” mentality and keeps the divide there.
“It’s a form of reverse racism, and it does more harm than good.”
Daily Mail Australia approached the First People’s Assembly for comment.
The First Assembly has received at least $65 million in funding from the Victorian state government.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has indicated he is open to following their lead, with his Labor government appointing three commissioners in September to conduct a one-year ‘listening tour’ of the state.
This tour will look at whether the state’s indigenous communities want a treaty and how it should work if they do.
Victoria was the first to introduce legal frameworks for an Indigenous treaty in 2018, with Queensland, Tasmania, the ACT and Northern Territory also looking at drafting their own treaties.
South Australia passed legislation for a state-based vote in March 2023.