Path to Treaty is central to the Queensland Government’s commitment to reframing the relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders. The Path to Treaty has the ultimate goal of negotiating a treaty or treaties, so we can move forward in a just and equitable relationship on this land we all share.
Background
The Queensland Path to Treaty commenced in 2019 with state-wide consultations led by an Eminent Panel and Treaty Working Group, leading to a comprehensive report by the Treaty Working Group in February 2020 and recommendations to the Queensland Government by the Eminent Panel in February and May 2020.
Eminent Panel advice and recommendations February 2020 (dsdsatsip.qld.gov.au)
Treaty Working Group report February 2020 (dsdsatsip.qld.gov.au)
The Queensland Government provided a response to these recommendations in August 2020 including committing to establishing a Treaty Advancement Committee to provide advice on options to implement the Eminent Panel recommendations.
Queensland Government statement of commitment and response August 2020 (dsdsatsip.qld.gov.au)
Treaty Advancement Committee Report
The Treaty Advancement Committee was appointed on 12 February 2021 and delivered the Treaty Advancement Committee Report (the Report) to the Queensland Government on 12 October 2021.
Building on the work to date by the Eminent Panel, the Report recommended:
- Establishing a First Nations Treaty Institute (Institute) as a statutory body governed by an Institute Council, to support First Nations people to prepare for Treaty negotiations (recommendations 1-11)
- A staged approach to truth telling, firstly via local truth telling activities, and secondly by establishing a formal Truth Telling and Healing Inquiry (Inquiry) in legislation for three years to inquire into the historical and ongoing impacts of colonisation on First Nations Queenslanders and facilitate truth telling and healing for all Queenslanders (recommendations 12-15)
- Use of the returns of the Path to Treaty Fund to fund the operations of the Institute once established (recommendations 16-20)
- Establishing a Path to Treaty Office to lead preparations for Queensland Government treaty readiness (recommendation 21)
- Prior to the establishment of the Institute and Inquiry, setting up an Independent Interim Body (IIB) to undertake pre-Institute research and engagement, lead local truth telling activities and co-design the arrangements for the Institute and the Inquiry with the Path to Treaty Office (recommendation 22).
Treaty Advancement Committee Report October 2021 (dsdsatsip.qld.gov.au)
Queensland Government Response
The Queensland Government response to the TAC report accepts 18 recommendations, including those to be co-designed by the Path to Treaty Office with the Independent Interim Body, with four recommendations accepted in-principle:
Four recommendations were accepted-in-principle given the need for further policy development, which include:
- Recommendation 2 (legislation preamble) as further policy development will be required in co-designing the approach
- Recommendation 7 (future Institute Council selection arrangements) as this is dependent on policy developments in relation to First Nations representative structures
- Recommendations 17 and 20 (Institute funding arrangements) as allocations will be made in $10 million amounts per year and provision of a review of the operation of the fund will be required.
The Independent Interim Body (IIB) will co-design the legislation to establish a First Nations Treaty Institute and Truth Telling and Healing Inquiry, as well as undertake local and regional truth telling and research in partnership with First Nations peoples and public institutions over the next 12 to 18 months.
This is fundamental aspect of the treaty journey—for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be central in co-designing these arrangements.
This will provide a firm foundation for Government, First Nations and the broader community, to ready ourselves for treaty-making.
For detailed information on actions that will take place over the next 2-3 years, take a look at the Queensland Government Response to the recommendations of the Treaty Advancement Committee report (PDF).
A reaffirmed commitment
With a renewed focus, the Queensland Government, First Nations people and non-Indigenous Queenslanders participated in the signing of the Queensland’s Path to Treaty Commitment on the 16 August 2022.
The Commitment signifies a collective pledge to be courageous and curious, to be open to hearing the truth of our State’s history and to collaborate in readiness for negotiating treaties.
For more information about Path To Treaty: Treaty | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples | Queensland Government