NEGOTIATIONS for Australia’s first Treaty with First Peoples have begun in Victoria. Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell, Member for Northern Victoria, has voiced her opposition to the State Government’s Treaty for Victoria, calling on Premier Jacinta Allan to immediately cease negotiations with the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.
Tyrrell said the planned treaty was divisive and one that most Victorians opposed.
“The results of the Voice referendum last year showed that the majority of Victorians are opposed to a specific treaty to be established with our First Nations people,” Mrs Tyrrell said. “This was particularly the case in my electorate of Northern Victoria Region, where my constituents overwhelmingly rejected division based on race.”
During her contribution, Tyrrell said the way to improve the lives of Indigenous Victorians is not through secretive negotiations, costing Victorian taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, but through transparent and responsible programs directly benefitting the lives of First Peoples.
Tyrrell also spoke of her own Indigenous heritage on her father’s side but said that her heritage had never played a role in working to achieve her accomplishments.
“I have never relied on my family history to get me to where I am today. I grew up in a low socio-economic household, where in my childhood I experienced neglect, parental use of drugs and alcohol and both physical and emotional abuse,” Mrs Tyrrell said.
“Like so many others, I am living proof that we do not need to divide or separate Australians in order to improve their outcomes.”
The Victorian Government has worked with First Peoples for the past eight years to lay the foundations for Treaty negotiations. Formal negotiations between the State Government and elected members of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria began November 21, and Premier Allan said that Treaty is a practical way to achieve practical change.
“Treaty is our chance to build a stronger Victoria. A Victoria where Aboriginal people have a say over the policies and programs that impact their lives,” Premier Allan said.
“We’ll be negotiating how to give First Nations people a proper say over their families and communities. And how we can lay the foundations for a better future – for all of us.”
However, Tyrrell highlighted the secrecy and lack of transparency shown by the Premier regarding the Treaty process. She said, “Not only is this Treaty not welcomed by the majority of my constituents, but the fact that the Premier refuses to divulge any information about the process is a major concern in the community, and frankly unacceptable.
“We need unity rather than division in Victoria, and Jacinta Allan needs to cease this Treaty plan immediately.”
