Australia has achieved a historic milestone with the passage of its first Indigenous treaty in the Victorian parliament. The bill, which establishes the First Peoples' Assembly as a permanent representative body to provide advice to government, was passed 21 votes to 16 just before 9pm on Thursday.
The treaty makes Victoria the first state in the country to adopt voice, treaty and truth – the three pillars of reform requested in the 2017 Uluru statement from the heart. The bill has been hailed as a significant step towards reconciliation and recognition of Indigenous rights.
Ngarra Murray, co-chair of the First Peoples' Assembly, described the moment as "historic" and said it would be told to future generations as a story of Aboriginal resilience and activism that led to Australia's first treaty.
The establishment of the Gellung Warl corporation will provide a permanent forum for Indigenous voices to shape policies and services. The Nyerna Yoorrook Telkuna truth-telling body and Nginma Ngainga Wara accountability body will also be established, providing additional mechanisms for Indigenous representation and oversight.
This development comes as Coalition MPs meet in Canberra today for their crunch meeting on net zero policy, with Sussan Ley attempting to steer the party towards a more centrist position. Meanwhile, independent MP Zali Steggall is hosting a roundtable meeting with Climate Change Authority boss Matt Kean, which will discuss Australia's energy policy and climate change.
In other news, a study by the Parliamentary Library found that teachers in Australia lose over $11 billion annually due to unpaid work. The analysis assumes teachers work 50 hours a week but are paid for only 38.
The passage of the treaty has been met with cheers and tears from the public gallery, with Labor, Greens, Legalise Cannabis, and Animal Justice party MPs who supported the bill applauding.
The treaty makes Victoria the first state in the country to adopt voice, treaty and truth – the three pillars of reform requested in the 2017 Uluru statement from the heart. The bill has been hailed as a significant step towards reconciliation and recognition of Indigenous rights.
Ngarra Murray, co-chair of the First Peoples' Assembly, described the moment as "historic" and said it would be told to future generations as a story of Aboriginal resilience and activism that led to Australia's first treaty.
The establishment of the Gellung Warl corporation will provide a permanent forum for Indigenous voices to shape policies and services. The Nyerna Yoorrook Telkuna truth-telling body and Nginma Ngainga Wara accountability body will also be established, providing additional mechanisms for Indigenous representation and oversight.
This development comes as Coalition MPs meet in Canberra today for their crunch meeting on net zero policy, with Sussan Ley attempting to steer the party towards a more centrist position. Meanwhile, independent MP Zali Steggall is hosting a roundtable meeting with Climate Change Authority boss Matt Kean, which will discuss Australia's energy policy and climate change.
In other news, a study by the Parliamentary Library found that teachers in Australia lose over $11 billion annually due to unpaid work. The analysis assumes teachers work 50 hours a week but are paid for only 38.
The passage of the treaty has been met with cheers and tears from the public gallery, with Labor, Greens, Legalise Cannabis, and Animal Justice party MPs who supported the bill applauding.
I'm so glad Australia is finally taking steps in the right direction towards reconciliation 
! This treaty is a huge deal and I'm loving how it's giving Indigenous voices a platform to shape policies 
. It's about time we acknowledged their struggles and worked together to create change 
. The fact that they've included truth-telling and accountability measures is also super important, it's all about transparency and trust 
. Now let's see if our leaders can follow through on this and make some real progress 
. I've been following this for years and it's amazing to see the progress being made. The fact that Victoria is leading the way with its first treaty is huge 
. It's about time we acknowledge the histories and struggles of our Indigenous friends.
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. I'm loving that Zali Steggall is pushing for a roundtable meeting with Climate Change Authority boss Matt Kean 
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. We need to do better by our educators and support them more.
. Like, do we really need another layer of government to oversee everything? Can't they just work with the existing system? But then again, maybe that's exactly what's needed – a permanent voice for Indigenous peoples in our parliament 
. And honestly, I'm also kinda skeptical about the whole "treaty" thing... is it really gonna lead to tangible change or just more of the same old stuff? 
Still, I guess it's a start and we can't deny the emotion and pride that's behind this bill 
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The fact that they've passed their first treaty in the Victorian parliament is a huge deal, and I love how it's been described as "historic" 
It's amazing to think that this moment will be told to future generations as a story of Aboriginal resilience and activism 
Ngarra Murray's words just made me emotional 
And can we talk about how this development comes at a time when our politicians are finally starting to listen to the people 
how did they even calculate that? and who's responsible for this? the gov't? 
. I'm not surprised to hear Sussan Ley trying to steer the Coalition towards a more centrist position though 
. The real question is, what's next? Are we going to see more state governments following suit? Will this be a game changer for Indigenous Australians and Australian society as a whole? So many questions 
. And the fact that Ngarra Murray is calling it "historic" and telling stories about Aboriginal resilience is just so powerful 
. I'm also loving that this treaty includes these pillars of reform: voice, treaty, and truth - it's all about centering Indigenous voices and perspectives 
. We need more states to follow suit and actually implement the changes we've been asking for. It's all about momentum now 
, but let's not forget about the real players - the ones who are actually doing the work in the communities 
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. It's time for some serious policy changes, not just empty promises 
just saw that Australia finally did it! first Indigenous treaty passed in the parliament