Indigenous treaties in Australia

Hypothetical government treaties with Indigenous Australians

For general Indigenous advisory bodies of the Commonwealth and state and territory governments, see Australian Indigenous advisory bodies.

Indigenous treaties in Australia are proposed binding legal agreements between Australian governments and Australian First Nations (or other similar groups). A treaty could (amongst other things) recognise First Nations as distinct political communities, acknowledge Indigenous Sovereignty, set out mutually recognised rights and responsibilities or provide for some degree of self-government.[1] As of 2024[update], no such treaties are in force, however the Commonwealth and all states except Western Australia have expressed support previously for a treaty process. However, the defeat of the Voice referendum in 2023 has led to a reversal by several state branches of the Liberal and National parties in their support for treaty and a much more ambiguous expressed position by state branches of the Labor Party as well as Labor governments.[2]

Moves to state and territory treaties were boosted by the Victorian government's establishment of a legal framework for negotiations to progress, announced in 2016, and with the election of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria in 2019. Support shown for Indigenous issues by the June 2020 Black Lives Matter rallies across Australia also increased support for treaty processes. However, following the failure of the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, progress towards treaties has either stalled or been reversed in the states and territories apart from Victoria.

## Background

[edit]

The objects of treaties between governments and Indigenous peoples may include:

* provision of practical rights and compensation
* initiation of a formal process of reconciliation between the group and government relating to past grievances
* providing a framework for some type of self-determination for individual peoples or groups

Research by the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development shows that self-determination is an essential component in redressing entrenched disadvantage.[3]

Many Aboriginal Australians have said that a treaty or treaties would bring them real as well as symbolic recognition, and national debate has occurred for many years on the topic, alongside related matters such as Indigenous recognition in the Australian Constitution, land rights, and programs aimed at reducing disadvantage such as Closing the Gap.[citation needed] This type of treaty would involve a formal agreement which defines the relationship between government and First Nations peoples, and could include binding contracts on specific issues as well as practical measures relating to health and education.[4]

British colonial representatives negotiated treaties with Indigenous peoples in New Zealand and in Canada during early phases of settlement.[5] The Treaty of Waitangi was concluded in 1840 at time when the future Colony of New Zealand was then part of the Colony of New South Wales. British treaty-making in North America began as early as sixteenth century and continued until Canada gained self-government in 1867, after which time the Canadian federal government entered into the Numbered Treaties (1871 to 1921). Colonial treaties also featured in African history: a chief of Bonny (in present-day Nigeria) in 1860 explained that he refused a British treaty due to the tendency to "induce the Chiefs to sign a treaty whose meaning they did not understand, and then seize upon the country".[6]

## History

[edit]

Indigenous treaties have been discussed since the early years of the Australian colonies. In 1832 the Governor of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania), George Arthur remarked in the aftermath of the Black War in the colony that it was "a fatal error...that a treaty was not entered into with the natives". He recommended to the Colonial Office that, before the colonisation of South Australia, an understanding be reached with the Aboriginal peoples there, in a bid "to prevent a long-continued warfare".[7] Notably, the Letters Patent establishing the Province of South Australia of 1836 (unlike the South Australia Act 1834, which it amended), included recognition of the rights of the Aboriginal peoples of South Australia.[8][9]

The only pre-21st century attempt to negotiate a treaty with Indigenous Australians was what came to be known as Batman's Treaty. This was an agreement between John Batman, a pastoralist and businessman, and a group of Wurundjeri elders, for the purchase of land around Port Phillip, near the present site of Melbourne[10] The so-called treaty was declared void on 26 August 1835 by the Governor of New South Wales, Richard Bourke,[11] which declared that all land within the colony belonged to the Crown and that it had the sole authority to dispose of it.[12][13] While the Crown retains the right to dispose of any land under the doctrine of radical title, some inherent Indigenous rights to land have been recognised under native title law.

An Indigenous treaty was first promised by Prime Minister Bob Hawke in 1988 after receiving the Barunga Statement from Aboriginal elders, which called for such a treaty to be concluded. Despite public interest and growing support, concerns were raised over possible implications of such a treaty, such as financial compensation.[14][15]

### 21st century

[edit]

In 2017, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull rejected the proposal for an Indigenous voice to parliament, it being the first request of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which also included a request for treaty.[14][15]

With no progress made towards an Indigenous treaty at federal level (despite decades of debate),[7] in the early 21st century a number of states and territories began treaty negotiations with their Indigenous peoples.[4] The 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart included the request: "We seek a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history"[16] (Makarrata being a Yolngu word for "a process of conflict resolution, peacemaking and justice"[17]).[18]

In July 2019, Ken Wyatt, recently appointed to the new role of Minister for Indigenous Australians, gave an address to the National Press Club, in which he spoke of the theme of NAIDOC Week 2019: "Voice. Treaty. Truth.". He spoke of the development of a local, regional and national voice, and said "with respect to Treaty, it's important that states and territory jurisdictions take the lead. When you consider the constitution, they are better placed to undertake that work".[18][19][20]

With the Victorian government's creation of a legal framework for Indigenous treaty negotiations in 2018 with their First Peoples' Assembly, the debate rose to prominence across Australia again,[7] with impetus added by the June 2020 Black Lives Matter rallies across Australia.[21][22]

As of 2022[update], there are no treaties between the federal or any state government in Australia in force.[23]

## State and territory treaty processes

[edit]

The Victorian government of Daniel Andrews was the first at state level to pass a legal framework for Indigenous treaty negotiations, in 2018,[4] but there have been various moves made to instigate such a process in all states and territories in the 21st century.

Issues covered by an Indigenous treaty with a state government are likely to include health and education.[5]

### New South Wales

[edit]

The New South Wales Labor party committed to funding and beginning treaty discussion as an election promise prior to winning government in March 2023.[24] David Harris has been appointed as minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty.[25] However, Harry Hobbs has stated that he believes the government has become much more vaguer and uncommitted when talking about treaty, having become apprehensive following the failure of the Voice referendum.[2] Three treaty commissioners have been appointed, to consult with Aboriginal New South Welshmen about their thoughts around treaty. A government website states the process "is likely to begin in early 2025".[26]

### Victoria

[edit]

See also: 2019 Victorian First Peoples' Assembly election and First Peoples' Assembly

The Victorian government was the first at state level to pass a legal framework for Indigenous treaty negotiations, in 2018.[4][27] In 2018, The Victorian Liberal Party opposed a state-based Indigenous treaty, stating that a federal treaty would be more appropriate.[27] Opposition politician Bernie Finn also stated that since Aboriginal Victorians were Victorian citizens, the state would be making an Indigenous treaty with itself, an argument rejected by the government.[28] By 2022 the Victorian Liberal Party supported treaty.[29][30]

On 3 July 2018, the government passed the first Australian treaty law, the Advancing the Treaty Process with Aboriginal Victorians Act 2018,[31] effective 1 August 2018.[32] The ultimate goal of a partnership between the Victorian government and Aboriginal communities "is to achieve reconciliation and justice for Aboriginal communities", and the Act enshrines such a partnership in law.[3]

The 2019 Victorian First Peoples' Assembly election was held to choose the representatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria.[33][34][35] only 7% of the eligible voters turned out to vote.[36]

On 16 August 2022, The Victorian Legislative Council voted 31 votes to three for the Treaty Authority and Other Treaty Elements Bill 2022. The 3 who voted against the bill were the two Liberal Democrats Tim Quilty and David Limbrick and former Liberal turned Democratic Labour Bernie Finn.[37]

On January 21 2024, the Victorian Liberal and National opposition announced that they would be withdrawing its support for treaty, reversing their previous support for the proposal.[38][39][40][41]

### Queensland

[edit]

In 2019 the Queensland government of Annastacia Palaszczuk announced its interest in pursuing a pathway to an Indigenous treaty process.[42] The Treaty Working Group and Eminent Treaty Process Panel were set up, with Jackie Huggins and Michael Lavarch co-chairing the Eminent Panel. Their Path to Treaty Report was tabled in Queensland Parliament in February 2020 after they had consulted widely, across more than 1,700 Queenslanders and 24 communities between July 2019 and early 2020,[43] and presented to Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Jackie Trad. Huggins said that a process of truth-telling, acknowledging the history of Australia, is a "vital component to moving on".[44]

On 13 August 2020, Premier Palaszczuk announced that the government would be supporting the recommendation to move forward on a Path to Treaty with First Nations Queenslanders. She said that the Treaty Advancement Committee would provide independent advice on the implementation of the panel's recommendations.[45]

In 2023 the Queensland Parliament passed the Path to Treaty Act 2023 (Qld), which established the First Nations Treaty Institute, an independent statutory body to assist First Nations prepare for the upcoming treaty process. The act also created the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry, to record and report on the impact of colonisation on Indigenous Queenslanders.[46] The bill passed with bipartisan support. The only 4 who voted against it, were the MPs from the Katter's Australian Party and One Nation who voted to reject it.[47]

On 19 October 2023, a few days after the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum the opposition Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) leader David Crisafulli announced that they would be withdrawing its support for treaty, reversing their previous support for the proposal.[48][49][50]

The opposition Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) won the 2024 Queensland state election and repealed the Path to Treaty Act 2023 while also directing that the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry end.

### Western Australia

[edit]

As of January 2024, Western Australia is the only jurisdiction without a formal treaty process ongoing.[2] However, in 2015 the Western Australian Government of Colin Barnett signed a $1.3 billion native title settlement with the Noongar people,[51] which was described by deputy opposition leader Roger Cook as "a classic treaty",[52][7] and Ken Wyatt called it "a treaty in the true sense".[18]

The comprehensive South West Native Title Settlement aims to resolve native title claims in exchange for statutory recognition of the Noongar people as the traditional owners of South-Western Australia.[53] As of 2020[update] it is the largest native title settlement in Australian history, affecting about 30,000 Noongar People and encompassing around 200,000 km2 (77,000 sq mi) in south-western Western Australia. It has been described as "Australia's first treaty" by legal academics Harry Hobbs and George Williams.[54][55] Hobbs later described these agreements as a "small 't' treaties" as while not negotiated though a formal treaty process, many of the outcomes are similar to those that would result from that process.[2]

By 2018, WA had announced plans to establish an Aboriginal representative body in the state.[14]

### South Australia

[edit]

In 2016 the South Australian government of Jay Weatherill announced it intended to negotiate up to 40 treaties with Indigenous groups across the state, and that $4.4 million would be set aside over five years for the purpose.[31][56] In December 2016, talks began between the government and three Aboriginal nations: the Ngarrindjeri, Narungga, and Adnyamathanha peoples. Following the July 2017 report of the South Australian Treaty Commissioner, negotiations began.[7] In February 2018, the Buthera Agreement was signed with the Narungga nation, of the Yorke Peninsula.[57]

Following the Weatherill government's defeat in the 2018 state election, incoming premier Steven Marshall paused the treaty negotiation process begun by Weatherill, stating he wanted to focus on "practical outcomes".[58][59]

In 2022 a Labor government was returned to office, with Premier Peter Malinauskas committing to restart the treaty process.[60] Under Malinauskas, who appointed Kyam Maher as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Attorney-General of South Australia, SA became the first state in the country to legislate a state-based Voice to Parliament in 2023. In late May 2025, South Australian Aboriginal leaders, including Melissa Clarke, one of the signatories to the Uluru Statement, called on the government to restart the process; however, Maher said that while the government was still committed to restarting negotiations, it was unlikely to get any agreements signed before the next election, nine months away. He said that the was considering the model adopted by Victoria, as well as others in Canada and New Zealand.[61]

### Tasmania

[edit]

On Australia Day in 2015, the Tasmanian Greens called for a formal treaty to be negotiated between the Tasmanian Government and the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.[62] Michael Mansell, chair of the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, said in August 2019 that non-Indigenous people need not fear a treaty, as it would "simply be an expression of true democracy and self-determination". At that point, only 300 km2 (120 sq mi) of the 67,000 km2 (26,000 sq mi) of Tasmania had been returned under the Aboriginal Lands Act 1995 (Tas). He said that returning a few key areas of uninhabited wilderness which was now Crown land would mean jobs for Aboriginal people.[63]

In June 2020, Mansell and Greg Brown, Tasmanian Aboriginal Corporation board member, had their first meeting with Premier Peter Gutwein, and raised the matter of a treaty.[64] Mansell had been heartened by the support shown for Aboriginal issues across Australia in the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of US man George Floyd, and spoke at the Launceston rally of the need for a Treaty Commission.[65]

In 2021, Premier Peter Gutwein announced the beginning of a treaty and truth telling process, beginning with consultations with the State's Aboriginal population.[66] An Aboriginal Advisory Group held its first meeting in February 2023.[67] However, certain Indigenous groups have described their distrust of the government and have alleged that the government 'only willing to listen to six people as part of their government-selected group'.[67] The issue of deciding who should be counted as Aboriginal for the purpose of treaty negotiation is yet to be decided, with many Aboriginal people expressing anger and frustration with what they believe are a greater number of people falsely claiming Aboriginal status and what they believe is government encouragement of this practice.[68] The treaty process was abandoned by the government in May 2025.[69]

### Northern Territory

[edit]

In 2018 the Northern Territory Government of Michael Gunner pledged to undertake a treaty process with Indigenous peoples of the Territory,[7] including the appointment of an Independent Treaty Commissioner to oversee negotiations.[70] In June 2018 Gunner signed the "Barunga agreement", a memorandum of understanding committing his Government to negotiate with the Territory's four Aboriginal land councils over the next three years to develop a treaty process.[71]

The process will be overseen by an independent treaty commissioner, who in the first stage will undertake consultations for one year with the Indigenous communities to gauge their interest in a treaty. In the second stage, a public discussion paper will be released, translated into major Aboriginal languages for consultation and feedback. A final report will then be tabled in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly within 18 months of stage one's completion.[71]

On 4 March 2019, Mick Dodson was appointed Treaty Commissioner, agreed by all four NT land councils and the Minister. He is tasked with presenting a final report within 2.5 years.[31] The Treaty Commission, in a discussion paper published in July 2020, has said: "Some of our Elders are very old ... the process of truth-telling must begin as soon as possible. It is urgent". Truth-telling is an essential step, and must take place before the negotiations for treaty get under way, which can take a long time. Because the NT is not a state, treaties negotiated with the NT Government could be overruled by the Federal Government, thereby limiting their effectiveness. There are also challenges in cases where traditional owners' lands extend across state borders, and where members and descendants of the Stolen Generations have not been able to find who their people are and therefore may not qualify as First Nations people. The Treaty Commissioner would be handing his report to the Chief Minister in 2022, after which negotiations would begin.[72]

In 2023, the Commission was abolished, with the Territory government arguing that further time and consultation was needed before moving forward on treaty.[73] The government denied that it was no longer acting on treaty issues, with directly government treaty symposia held in April 2024.[74][75]

The NT opposition Country Liberal Party (CLP) ended the treaty process after winning government in 2024.[76][77][78]

## See also

[edit]

* Aboriginal land rights in Australia
* History of Indigenous Australians
* Letters Patent establishing the Province of South Australia
* Native title in Australia
* Treaty rights

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Hobbs, Harry; Norman, Heidi; Walsh, Matthew (3 April 2023). "What actually is a treaty? What could it mean for Indigenous people?". The Conversation. Australia.
2. ^ a b c d Seccombe, Mike (27 January 2024). "The push for treaty stalls". The Saturday Paper.
3. ^ a b "Advancing the Treaty Process with Aboriginal Victorians Bill 2018". Parliament of Victoria. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
4. ^ a b c d "Australia moves towards Aboriginal treaties". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
5. ^ a b "What will Indigenous treaties mean?". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2019. "Australia is the only Commonwealth country that does not have a treaty with its Indigenous peoples and interestingly, the states are leading the charge, the ABC's editor of Indigenous affairs says."
6. ^ Isichei, Elizabeth Allo (1983). Isichei, Peter Uche (ed.). A History of Nigeria. Vol. 2\. London: Longman. p. 362\. ISBN 9780582643314. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
7. ^ a b c d e f Hobbs, Harry; Williams, George (1 March 2018). "The Noongar Settlement: Australia's First Treaty". Sydney Law Review. 40 (1). Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII).
8. ^ "Order-in-Council Establishing Government 23 February 1836 (UK)". Museum of Australian Democracy. Documenting a democracy. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
9. ^ Draft of the Order-in-Council Establishing Government 23 February 1836 (UK), National Archives of Australia
10. ^ Richard Broome, pp10-14, Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800, Allen & Unwin, 2005, ISBN 1-74114-569-4, ISBN 978-1-74114-569-4
11. ^ "Governor Bourke's Proclamation 1835 (UK)". Documenting Democracy. Museum of Australian Democracy. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
12. ^ "The Batman Treaty". SBS On Demand. Special Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
13. ^ "Batman's treaty". Ergo. State Library of Victoria. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
14. ^ a b c "Why doesn't Australia have an indigenous treaty?". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
15. ^ a b "Indigenous Australian 'hearts broken'". BBC News. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
16. ^ "Uluru Statement from the Heart". referendumcouncil.org.au. Referendum Council. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
17. ^ Pearson, Luke (10 August 2017). "What is a Makarrata? It's more than a synonym for treaty". ABC News (Radio National). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 5 June 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
18. ^ a b c Wyatt, Ken. "National Press Club Address - 'Walking in Partnership to Effect Change'". Ministers Media Centre. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
19. ^ Conifer, Dan (9 July 2019). "Indigenous constitutional recognition to be put to referendum in next three years, Minister promises". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
20. ^ Wyatt, Ken (10 July 2019). "Ken Wyatt speech: Indigenous Australians Minister's historic pledge for recognition". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
21. ^ Atkinson, Geraldine; Stewart, Marcus (4 June 2020). "OPINION: Blak Lives Matter - Which is why we need Treaty". NITV. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
22. ^ Jakubowicz, Andrew; Payne, Anne Maree; Thomas, Archie; Norman, Heidi (11 November 2020). "The Black Lives Matter movement has provoked a cultural reckoning about how Black stories are told". The Conversation. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
23. ^ Allam, Lorena (20 August 2022). "What is an Indigenous treaty and how would it work in Australia?". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
24. ^ "NSW Labor commits to treaty consultations with Indigenous community if elected in March". ABC News. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
25. ^ Cross, Jarred (7 April 2023). "New NSW Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty lays out plans". National Indigenous Times. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023.
26. ^ "Consulting Aboriginal people on desire for a treaty process". NSW Government. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
27. ^ a b Afshariyan, Nkayla (7 June 2018). "Australia's first Aboriginal treaty negotiations passed in Victoria". triple j. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
28. ^ Wahlquist, Calla (21 June 2018). "Victoria passes historic law to create Indigenous treaty framework". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
29. ^ Ilanbey, Sumeyya (21 June 2022). "Opposition backs next step to treaty with Indigenous Victorians". The Age. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
30. ^ Kolovos, Benita (21 June 2022). "'Woke tokenism': Victorian MP Tim Smith to defy Liberal party support for treaty authority". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
31. ^ a b c Korff, Jens (20 July 2020). "Aboriginal timeline: Treaty". Creative Spirits (in Polish). Retrieved 20 July 2020.
32. ^ "Advancing the Treaty Process with Aboriginal Victorians Act 2018". Victorian legislation. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
33. ^ Rollason, Bridget (16 September 2019). "Victorian treaty negotiations move closer as voting opens for First Peoples' Assembly". ABC News. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
34. ^ Australian Associated Press (16 September 2019). "Voting opens for representatives to Victoria's First Peoples' Assembly". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
35. ^ "About". First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria. 24 November 2019. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
36. ^ Towell, Noel (10 November 2019). "Historic vote, but only 7 per cent turned out for Aboriginal poll". The Age. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
37. ^ Ilanbey, Sumeyya (16 August 2022). "'Amazing day': Bill to set up Treaty Authority passes state parliament". The Age. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
38. ^ Kolovos, Benita; Ore, Adeshola (22 January 2024). "Treaty could make people 'feel more divided', Victorian opposition leader says, as Coalition withdraws support". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
39. ^ "Victorian treaty bipartisanship ruptures as opposition withdraws its support". ABC News. 21 January 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
40. ^ "The Victorian opposition has backflipped over its support for the state's treaty process". NITV. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
41. ^ Love, Simon; Roulston, Amy (21 January 2024). "'We don't believe we should proceed with Treaty': Leader of Nationals confirms Coalition U-turn on support for Treaty in Victoria". Sky News. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
42. ^ Siganto, Talissa (14 July 2019). "'Long time coming': Queensland commits to Indigenous treaty process". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
43. ^ Smith, Douglas (10 February 2020). "QLD Government receives treaty recommendations after months of consultations". NITV. SBS. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
44. ^ "Truth-telling guides next steps on Queensland's historic Path to Treaty". Mirage News. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
45. ^ Palaszczuk, Annastacia; Crawford, Craig (13 August 2020). "Queensland Government's historic commitment to Treaty-making process". Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory. Retrieved 14 August 2020. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
46. ^ Queensland Government (22 February 2023). "Where are we up to? | Queensland's Path to Treaty". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023.
47. ^ "Queensland begins historic 'Path to Treaty' as bill passes with bipartisan support". ABC News. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
48. ^ Gillespie, Eden (18 October 2023). "Queensland LNP abandons support for treaty with First Nations people". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
49. ^ Riga, Rachel (18 October 2023). "Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafulli says Path to Treaty 'will only create further division', retracts support for laws". ABC News. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
50. ^ "LNP flips on support for treaty". The Australian. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
51. ^ Poloni, Gian De (8 June 2015). "WA Premier signs $1.3 billion Noongar native title deal". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
52. ^ Hobbs, Harry (19 December 2016). "Will treaties with Indigenous Australians overtake constitutional recognition?". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
53. ^ Cawthorn, Michael (22 November 2017). "Traditional Owner Corporations". PBC. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
54. ^ "Settlement Agreement". South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
55. ^ Hobbs, Harry; Williams, George (2018). "The Noongar Settlement: Australia's First Treaty". Sydney Law Review.
56. ^ Australian Associated Press (14 December 2016). "SA government aims to sign treaty with Indigenous Australians within 12 months". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
57. ^ "Treaty in South Australia". ANTaR. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
58. ^ Wahlquist, Calla (30 April 2018). "South Australia halts Indigenous treaty talks as premier says he has 'other priorities'". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
59. ^ Kurmelovs, Royce (12 December 2018). "SA's Aboriginal Affairs Action Plan slammed as 'collection of dot points'". NITV News. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
60. ^ "What SA's new govt wants to achieve in Aboriginal affairs". NITV. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
61. ^ Richards, Stephanie (1 June 2025). "SA First Nations communities 'waiting, prepared' to restart treaty process". ABC News. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
62. ^ "Call for Tasmanian Aboriginal Treaty". Tasmanian Greens MPs. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
63. ^ Holmes, Adam (7 August 2019). "Tasmania treaty talks: Michael Mansell's vision for treaty, land return, GDP allocation, land access and seats in Parliament". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
64. ^ Maunder, Sarah (10 June 2020). "Aboriginal leaders in Tasmania broach treaty discussions with state government". NITV. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
65. ^ Bailey, Sue (8 June 2020). "Aboriginal leader Michael Mansell has been overwhelmed by support at Black Lives Matter rallies". The Advocate. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
66. ^ "Timetable for the 'truth' about island's bloody past to be told". ABC News. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
67. ^ a b "Eighteen months after a report urged truth-telling in Tasmania, has anything changed?". ABC News. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
68. ^ "'We've been made visible': Aboriginal Tasmanians celebrate first steps to treaty". ABC News. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
69. ^ Gibson, Jano; Barraclough, Ashleigh (27 May 2025). "Tasmanian government to fund truth-telling commissioners but drop treaty process". ABC News. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
70. ^ Wellington, Shahni (8 June 2018). "Indigenous treaty a step closer after NT Government's historic pledge". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
71. ^ a b Allam, Lorena (8 June 2018). "NT signs historic Barunga agreement to begin Indigenous treaty talks". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
72. ^ Gooley, Cameron (15 July 2020). "NT Treaty Commission eyes 2022 submission of final report with consultations to commence". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
73. ^ Bardon, Jane (20 January 2023). "Northern Territory Indigenous leader Yingiya Guyula angered by government's decision to close NT Treaty Commission". ABC News (Australia).
74. ^ Garrick, Matt (18 January 2024). "NT government to revive plans for treaty, six years after it was first promised by Territory Labor". ABC News (Australia).
75. ^ "NT Treaty Symposia". Office of Aboriginal Affairs. Northern Territory Government. 29 April 2024.
76. ^ "NT opposition rejects treaty plans, commits to wide-scale reform of remote councils". ABC. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
77. ^ "NT opposition says they will oppose Treaty". NIT. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
78. ^ www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-11/nt-clp-government-scraps-treaty-process/104918700

## Further reading

[edit]

* "The lack of treaty: Getting to the heart of the issue". Australians Together.

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* Western Australia

Issues|

* 1967 Referendum
* Constitutional recognition
* Crime
* Health
* Land rights
* Native title
* Protected Area
* Media portrayal
* Northern Territory National Emergency Response
* Self-determination
* Reconciliation
* Stolen Generations
* Half-Caste Act
* Uluru Statement from the Heart
* Treaty
* Truth
* Voice
* Voting rights

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