Victoria
Victorian Indigenous Leaders Warn Opposition Treaty Plan Risks Progress
Indigenous leaders in Victoria have warned that Opposition Leader Jess Wilson's plan to scrap the Treaty risks reversing decades of progress.
Victorian Indigenous leaders have strongly criticised a proposal by the state Opposition to scrap the historic Treaty process, warning that abandoning the agreement could undo decades of progress. According to a wire report, Aboriginal representatives accused Opposition Leader Jess Wilson of treating the landmark negotiations as a political football.
The warning follows the Coalition's signal that it would withdraw support for the Treaty process if elected to government. Indigenous representatives expressed deep concern over the development, stating that the move threatens to send the state backward after years of delicate and historic work toward reconciliation.
Leaders argue that politicising the Treaty process undermines trust and threatens the legislative framework designed to address systemic disadvantages faced by Aboriginal Victorians. They warned that the Opposition's stance risks fracturing relationships between Indigenous communities and the state, potentially halting vital progress on self-determination and community-led initiatives.
The Treaty negotiation framework has been established over several years, involving extensive consultation with First Nations groups across Victoria. While the state Opposition has indicated its intent to scrap the current Treaty path, the exact details of how an alternative policy would be managed, or what specific measures would replace the existing framework, have not been confirmed.
The Victorian government has previously reiterated its commitment to the Treaty, despite the growing political divide over the issue.
Watch for how the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria and other Indigenous advocacy groups lobby the Opposition to reverse its stance ahead of the next state election.
This report draws on original reporting by Wire report.
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