Treaty Watch: Queensland By James Reed
Some good news on the treaty issue. It seems that the Liberal National Party has now abandoned support for a state treaty, and previously supported it before the resounding No from the Voice referendum. The Path to Treaty Act 2023, was passed the Queensland parliament in May with bipartisan support. At the time The Liberal National party leader, David Crisafulli, voted for the legislation, as did all members of his party. The Act would establish “a three-year “truth-telling and healing inquiry,” a framework for treaty negotiations and a body called First Nations Treaty Institute.”
Of course, the Liberal Nations have now dropped this like a hot potato, but we should be very sceptical about a party that went for this ultra-woke idea in the first place, thinking that the Yes side of the Voice would win the day. The short of the long, is we should hardly trust them, which is a good principle to told for all pollies.
“Indigenous Queenslanders are in “double mourning” after the state’s pathway to treaty lost bipartisan support in the same week that it voted overwhelmingly against the voice, a community leader has said.
The Bindal elder and Indigenous activist Gracelyn Smallwood said the Liberal National party’s decision to abandon support for a treaty was “the biggest disappointment”.
Many First Nations leaders called for a week of silence and for flags to be flown at half mast after the voice to parliament referendum failed on the weekend.
“We’re in deep mourning this week, double mourning today about the conservatives [in] government reneging on their support for the treaty,” Smallwood said.
“They’ve reneged, just like they reneged on the voice. Nothing surprises me.”
The Path to Treaty Act 2023, which passed the Queensland parliament in May with bipartisan support, established a three-year “truth-telling and healing inquiry”, a framework for treaty negotiations and a body called First Nations Treaty Institute. The inquiry is due to begin next year.
The Liberal National party leader, David Crisafulli, voted for the legislation, as did all members of his party. But he changed his mind after 69% of Queenslanders voted no in the referendum.
Crisafulli told media on Wednesday that the party would repeal the legislation if they won next year’s election.
“It’s my view that to continue down the path to treaty would cause further division at a time when Queensland needs unity,” he said.
In a statement issued to the Australian on behalf of Queensland’s 17 Indigenous local government bodies, the Lockhart River mayor, Wayne Butcher, and the Kowanyama mayor, Robbie Sands, called on Crisafulli to reconsider his position.
“This should be a time of healing. Not a time to further kick us while we are down,” they said.
“That you have made this decision without any consultation with ourselves and our fellow leaders is a further blow.”
“We too are Queenslanders. We matter.”
The Queensland process is designed to develop multiple treaties with individual groups.
Mithika Aboriginal Corporation general manager, Josh Gorringe, said their group had hoped to get access to land in any treaty, to be able to run cultural programs for at-risk young people.
The group is struggling to achieve financial self-sufficiency because it cannot develop land it manages under native title for commercial purposes. The Mithika were granted just 97 hectares of freehold land in Betoota.
“Ninety-seven hectares, that doesn’t do a hell of a lot. You can run about three nanny goats on it,” he said.
Gorringe said the ultimate aim of a treaty was greater self-determination for Indigenous people. If the treaty process failed again it would be “just a kick in the guts”, he said.”
No, the only “kick in the guts” is to the rest of Australia who face the costs of woke.
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