The Victorian Government is preparing to legislate a permanent Assembly this year, and sign off on the State Treaty next year, ahead of the state election. If we stay silent, this will reshape Victoria — forever.
Christians are called to love our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12:31). That’s why we deeply care about our Indigenous brothers and sisters and want to see them flourish in every area of life. For decades, “Closing the Gap” has been the goal shared by many Australians — Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike — so that every person has the opportunity to thrive.
But here’s the problem: the Victorian Government’s proposed Treaty — to permanently embed a First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria into Parliament and adopt the 100 recommendations of the Yoorrook Justice Commission — will not achieve this.
The Danger of the Treaty
- Undermines democracy: A new permanent parliamentary body — the First Peoples’ Assembly — with powers to question ministers, call hearings, and hold policies to account would fundamentally alter and reshape the structure and processes of Parliament.
- Cripples the budget: The Yoorrook recommendations have been described as so costly they could “send the state broke”, pushing Victoria closer to financial crisis and burdening struggling families.
- Lacks unity: The Yoorrook commissioners are split on the Yoorrook final report — yet the government is charging ahead.
Most alarmingly…
- Forces sweeping unconsulted changes (just to name a few):
- Rewriting Australian history and reshaping school curriculum based on Indigenous perspectives (Recs 51 & 54).
- Imposing a separate education framework for Indigenous children that risks undermining their academic success (Rec 49).
- Granting racial privileges, such as cultural water rights, tax exemptions, and consent powers over resource projects (Recs 37, 39, 43).
- Renaming places and erecting memorials focused on past grievances (Recs 15 & 16).
- Enforcing Indigenous quotas on boards of companies and government agencies (Rec 93).
- Demanding churches hand over land or share land sale profits (Recs 18 & 19).
This is not reconciliation. This is division, privilege by race, and segregation — directly contradicting the Government’s own mantra that “Equality is non-negotiable.”
Instead of building unity, the Treaty risks deepening division. Instead of empowering Indigenous Australians, it may entrench separatism, life-long welfare dependence, and further inequality.
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What the Experts Are Saying
In consultation with the respected Aboriginal academic and commentator Dr Anthony Dillon, Victorian Director Jasmine Yuen was made aware that the challenges facing Indigenous people are not wholly different from those facing non-Indigenous Australians. We already see countless Indigenous leaders, professionals, and parliamentarians succeeding. The real “gap” isn’t between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people — it’s between successful Indigenous Australians and those still struggling.
Former Northern Territory MP Alison Anderson also wrote in her piece Real Education, Real Jobs:
“We Indigenous people need to be more like other Australians… Australia has more to offer us than a view of Indigenous people defined by their victimhood – more than welfarism or the Intervention… My dream is we should get real and… Indigenous people should be thought of and treated just like everyone else.” (In Black & White, 351)
This truth is hard to ignore: “separatism” disguised as self-determination does more harm than good to the Indigenous communities.
This State Treaty will not help the Victorian Indigenous community. On the contrary, it will make every Victorian worse off!
The Questions Victorians Must Demand Answers To
Before rushing legislation through, the Allan Government must explain:
- How will a permanent Indigenous Assembly with such powers not undermine our parliamentary process and disadvantage non-Indigenous Victorians?
- How will creating a separate schooling system for Indigenous children (Rec 49) help them succeed?
- How will granting racial privileges help Indigenous people getting off welfare dependency and achieve “closing the gap”?
- How does endless focus on historic grievances achieve genuine reconciliation?
- How can the Treaty proceed when Yoorrook commissioners are split on their own report?
- How will the Government fund this massively expensive agenda?
Why are ordinary Victorians not being consulted when these demands will reshape our education, society, culture, parliament, and economy?
To date, the Victorian Opposition has committed to block the Treaty.
