- Victorian treaty talks underway
- The opposition calls for a public role
- READ MORE: ‘Deeply worrying’ act ahead of treaty negotiations
Negotiations for Australia’s first treaty with Aboriginal people have begun, but a battle is brewing to get the wider public to have their say.
Talks between the Victorian Government and the First Assembly officially started on Thursday.
The Treaty Authority will monitor the talks and act as an independent referee.
There will be no statewide treaty with Indigenous Victorians unless it is approved by Parliament, but the Opposition is demanding the public have the final say.
Prime Minister Jacinta Allan said the treaty was an opportunity to create a better, fairer society for all Victorians, but admitted talks would be difficult.
“I remain very positive about these negotiations,” she said.
“We consider the challenges and consequences of the unbroken line of injustice caused by that initial colonial dispossession.”
Ms Allan refused to give a timeframe on how long the talks could last, saying a final agreement would not be binding and would need to be ticked off by Parliament.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says her government is fully committed to implementing a treaty
The First Assembly of Victoria consists of 33 elected representatives from across the state
The state opposition withdrew its support for the treaty in January after the failed national referendum vote in federal parliament, citing concerns over cultural heritage laws.
Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the prime minister must put any agreement to the people, not just parliament.
“This is something that affects all people and issues of this magnitude should not be resolved… by merely bringing it up in parliament,” he said.
‘The Prime Minister knows that her government will have a majority in the lower house and may be able to secure the 21 votes in the upper house.
‘But is that enough? Is it fair to say to Victorians ‘we are going to change and overhaul the way we have lived in this state for generations’.
“I bet the Victorians want direct control over the matter.”
Members of the First Assembly of Victoria, Rueben Berg (right) and Aunt Esme Bamblett
He flagged that the issue should be put to the people at the 2026 state elections, or “in some other way”, when asked whether he would support a plebiscite.
Victoria recorded the highest ‘yes’ vote of any state: 45.85 percent in the voting referendum.
In late October, Queensland’s newly elected Liberal-National government ended the state’s truth-inquiry.
The inquiry was set out in Queensland’s Path to Treaty Act, which passed Parliament in 2023 with bipartisan support.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said he planned to repeal the law and suggested telling the truth would not unite the state.