The Coalition plans to scrap Victoria’s treaty with First Peoples if it wins the election – but is that what voters want?
News Source
•Sun, 08 Nov 2026 14:00:44 GMT
📰 What Happened
Victoria's opposition leader, Jess Wilson, has promised to repeal the state's treaty with First Peoples within 100 days if the Coalition wins the election on 28 November. The treaty became law last November through the Statewide Treaty Act 2025. It set up a permanent body called Gellung Warl to represent First Nations people.
Gellung Warl can make rules on a small number of issues. These include how water is shared between First Nations groups and who sits on heritage councils. It cannot block laws or veto government policy. One Nation has also said it would overturn the body.
🔍 The Backstory
Talks about a treaty in Victoria started in 2016 under the Labor government. The First Peoples' Assembly was set up in 2019, and the Yoorrook Justice Commission began its truth-telling work in 2021. The treaty is the furthest any state has gone towards self-determination since the national Indigenous body ATSIC was created in 1990.
Kew is a wealthy, highly educated suburb. Its voters backed the national Indigenous voice in 2023 with 59 per cent support, and Wilson was the only Liberal MP in Victoria to publicly back it. Volunteers say scrapping the treaty after ten years of work would be devastating.
🎯 Why It Matters
The vote decides whether Australia's first treaty survives. It also tests whether promises made to First Nations people can be undone by the next government.
Victoria's opposition leader, Jess Wilson, has promised to repeal the state's treaty with First Peoples within 100 days if the Coalition wins the election on 28 November. The treaty became law last November through the Statewide Treaty Act 2025. It set up a permanent body called Gellung Warl to represent First Nations people.
Gellung Warl can make rules on a small number of issues. These include how water is shared between First Nations groups and who sits on heritage councils. It cannot block laws or veto government policy. One Nation has also said it would overturn the body.
Talks about a treaty in Victoria started in 2016 under the Labor government. The First Peoples' Assembly was set up in 2019, and the Yoorrook Justice Commission began its truth-telling work in 2021. The treaty is the furthest any state has gone towards self-determination since the national Indigenous body ATSIC was created in 1990.
Kew is a wealthy, highly educated suburb. Its voters backed the national Indigenous voice in 2023 with 59 per cent support, and Wilson was the only Liberal MP in Victoria to publicly back it. Volunteers say scrapping the treaty after ten years of work would be devastating.
The vote decides whether Australia's first treaty survives. It also tests whether promises made to First Nations people can be undone by the next government.