An in-principle agreement on Australia’s first treaty has been reached, with legislation introduced into the Victorian parliament today.
The treaty legislation in Victoria proposes to make the First Peoples’ Assembly permanent and expand its responsibilities, giving it power to make decisions about specific matters that directly impact First Nations people.
The legislation will establish a decision-making body called Gellung Warl, which means “tip of the spear” or “pointed spear” in Gunaikurnai language.
“I’m proud today to be introducing into the Victorian Parliament, the Statewide Treaty Bill,” Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“It puts into law the changes that will give Aboriginal people a say in how services and programs that are for Aboriginal Victorians are run, and we’re doing this because it gets better outcomes.
“We know we need to make change. We know the current practices and systems that have been in place for a very long time, just simply aren’t working.”
In a post on social media, the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria wrote that is was a history-making day.
“Today Victoria made history, for a better tomorrow,” it said. “Australia’s first Statewide Treaty has reached Parliament. What has taken decades of work is now on the cusp of reality.”
“The support of everyone has got us to this point, and we will be turning to you again for support in the coming weeks ✊🏾”
In a joint statement, Assembly co-hairs Rueben Berg and Ngarra Murray, Premier Jacinta Allan and Treaty Minister Natalie Hutchins said today’s milestone comes after a “long and steady path to Truth and Treaty for nearly a decade”.
“We have taken the time required to lay strong foundations for treaty and this bill represents a historical milestone in this journey,” they said.
“Policies and programs work best when the people affected by them have a say in how they are delivered – that’s why this Bill proposes to put decision-making power about initiatives and services that impact First Peoples into the hands of First Peoples’ Assembly.”
Part of the agreement will see First Nations truth-telling embedded into the Victorian school curriculum. The Assembly will also lead the Aboriginal Community Infrastructure Fund and become the naming authority for geographical sites across Victoria, and it will lead ongoing truth-telling and healing across Victorian towns and regions.
The preamble of the statewide treaty reads: “Treaty is an opportunity to listen, to learn, and to affirm the rightful place of First Peoples as decision-makers of their own futures, on their own Country. It recognises the need for meaningful change – enabling self-determination to flourish, for the good of all.”
The legislation will pass the lower house where Labor has a majority. It will need the support of crossbenchers in the upper house. The Victorian Opposition does not support the treaty.