Victoria’s Indigenous treaty: Allan government’s move slammed by conservatives

Victoria has agreed to sign a treaty with Aboriginal leaders, apologise for historical crimes and create a parliament-like organisation that could give Indigenous leaders influence across government, from writing the educational curriculum to naming places.

The first treaty between an Australian government and the nation’s original inhabitants will be signed in a formal ceremony later this year and celebrated with a displays of Aboriginal music and culture in central Melbourne.

The culmination of decades of lobbying, Indigenous and social activists hailed the decision by Jacinta Allan’s Labor government as a turning point in the troubled history of black-and-white relations that dates to the first British settlement in what became Victoria 222 years ago.

Conservatives were troubled by what they regard as unnecessary favouritism towards a racial group that comprises 1 per cent of the state’s 7 million-strong population, according to 2021 census.

Northern Territory senator Jacinta Price compared it with the failed federal Voice proposal of 2023 and said it could lead to demands for Indigenous reparations while advancing a “radical activist agenda”.

“It is nothing more than a repackaged Voice imposed in defiance of the will of the Victorian people,” she told The Nightly. “The so-called ‘truth telling’ provisions are particularly concerning. They are not about teaching history, but about indoctrinating children with guilt politics and enforcing a one-sided narrative that fosters division rather than unity.”

‘Dispossession, racism, discrimination’

The Liberal National opposition said it would oppose the treaty and the creation of an Indigenous representative and deliberative body, known as Gellung Warl. The changes will have to be approved by Parliament, which is considered certain because left-wing parties and independents control the upper house.

The 34-page document argues British settlement led to “dispossession, racism, and discrimination” that continues today, and that “truth telling” this history has led to a treaty that will allow Indigenous people to be treated equally.

“Treaty is the next step through that door,” the document says. “It is not about dwelling in the past, nor laying blame. It is about acknowledging that the past still shapes the present and choosing to do better from here.”

The treaty contains detailed practical changes that look likely to give Indigenous politicians considerable influence over the state. Supported by $70 million in annual funding, the treaty states Gellung Warl, which means “tip of the spear”, will control Indigenous policy, a First People’s infrastructure fund and be able to negotiate what the document calls “treaties” covering other policy areas.

Its objectives include using government “to eliminate institutional racism, discrimination and unconscious bias and to embed cultural safety” and “inclusion of truth-telling in the Victorian Curriculum”. Gellung Warl will be allocated a room inside Parliament House and will participate in the state’s main ceremonial events, although can be overruled by Parliament.

Gellung Warl will be able to ask all arms of government to introduce policies: cabinet, ministers, public service chiefs and both houses of parliament.

Division fears

The opposition, struggling with internal division in a state that leans to the left, emphasised it wanted to improve Indigenous people’s lives while expressing concern about the racially explicit nature of the plan.

“We believe there are alternative approaches that avoid division and race-based distinctions and will deliver real and positive outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians,” Aboriginal Affairs spokeswoman Melina Bath said.

Premier Allan said the treaty would help relieve Indigenous disadvantage without hurting anyone else. “We know already governments are spending huge amounts of money seeking to close the gap, a gap that has existed for a very long time. But it’s not working,” she said.

As the state battles youth crime and the government racks up large debts, some have questioned the government’s priorities. Former premier Jeff Kennett said two weeks ago the state was “f...ed” and warned it would be crippled by debt.