ANTaR’s has produced this resource on Treaty in Australia which examines Treaty and agreement-making between First Nations peoples in Australian jurisdictions and elsewhere around the world.
- What is Treaty?
- The History of Treaty in Australia
- Treaties Elsewhere
- Where are we up to?
- The States and Territories
The more people who activate their support the harder it is for governments around Australia to ignore the collective will for reconciliation through treaty.
Adding your name to the National petition above is just one way to support the campaign.
We also encourage to you to:
Thank you, with your help our work to advocate for agreement-making and negotiated settlement across Australia.
ANTaR is very pleased to be partnering with the National Native Title Council and the University of Melbourne to hold a National Treaties Summit in Melbourne in April 2020.
The National Treaties Summit will be a landmark gathering of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, treaty commissioners, international experts, community representatives, politicians and thinkers.
It will be an opportunity to share the experiences from Victoria, the Northern Territory and Queensland in their current, formal treaty processes and to hear from previous treaty negotiations in South Australia and Western Australia.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart called for the establishment of a Makarrata Commission that would lead in agreement making and truth telling. The Summit will discuss the formation of the Makarrata Commission and challenge the Commonwealth and state and territory governments that are yet to formally begin the process of reaching out for treaty with the First Nations of their jurisdictions.
ANTaR would gladly welcome any financial support you can offer to assist in the production of the Summit – please consider donating to the Summit today.
On National Sorry Day 2019, the leader of the Tasmanian Greens reiterated calls for Treaty with the First Nations of Tasmania. The Tasmanian Premier has promised to ‘reset the relationship’ with Aboriginal Tasmanians but to date, very little progress has been made, particularly in regards to land returns and Treaty.
In February 2018, the former South Australian Government signed the Buthera Agreement with the Narungga nation, the First Peoples of the Yorke Peninsula.
The Buthera Agreement is the first significant step towards a state-based Treaty in SA and was the culmination of a year-long consultation process with Aboriginal South Australians followed by discussions between the government and three Aboriginal nations on Treaty.
The South West Native Title Settlement (the Settlement) in Western Australia is the largest native title settlement in Australian history and is considered by many as ‘Australia’s First Treaty’. The Settlement is the resolution of Noongar native title claims in the South West of WA, encompassing approximately 200,000 square kilometres of land and affecting an estimated 30,000 Noongar people.
In January 2018, the former New South Wales Opposition Leader stated Labor would negotiate a Treaty recognising traditional Indigenous ownership of NSW if elected to government in 2019. It was hoped that a Treaty would acknowledge the wrongs of the past, ‘put things right for the future’ and provide a ‘truthful and honourable basis for our reconciliation with the state’s first people.’
However, the current NSW Government, to date, has not expressed any intentions towards advancing the Treaty process.
In 2018, the Australian Capital Territory Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affair declared the ACT government was open to talking Treaty with the First Nations of the Canberra region.
The Minister has spoken with community leaders, including individual Traditional Owners and members of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body (ATSIEB) about whether a state-based Treaty in the ACT should be pursued.
In July 2019, the Queensland Government announced it was commencing its journey towards Treaties with the First Nations of Queensland.
The QLD Government signed the Joint Statement of Commitment as part of the Tracks to Treaty - Reframing the relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders initiative. The initiative promotes and supports selfdetermination, truth-telling, local decisionmaking and better life outcomes for the First Nations Peoples of QLD.
The Northern Territory Government recognises that the First Nation Peoples of the NT never ceded sovereignty of their lands, seas or waters and previously selfgoverned in accordance with their traditional laws and customs.
The Victorian Government recognises that the Aboriginal peoples of Victoria never ceded sovereignty and that Treaties are necessary to address the wrongdoings of the past. Treaties are an opportunity to redefine the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Victorians.
ANTaR