“Transfer of Power and Resources for First Peoples” in VIC

The Victorian Government’s First Peoples State Relations website asks the question, “What is Treaty in Victoria?” I want to know how the Government (and their lawyers) define treaty, so that we’re all on the same page. They state, “Treaty is the embodiment of Aboriginal self-determination. Treaty provides a path to negotiate the transfer of power and resources for First Peoples to control matters which impact their lives.” I think that’s the true intention and expected outcome, right? The transfer of power and resources. That’s what this is all about.

In my reckoning, as long as the current government are in power, this treaty is going ahead. Premier Jacinta Allan is giving a big up yours to the Victorian people.

The Honourable Natalie Hutchins, Minister for Treaty and First Peoples (she’s also the Minister for Women… I wonder who the Minister for Men is? Oh that’s right, there isn’t one). When the good Minister appeared before the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing about the state’s treaty process, she was asked about reparations and dedicated Indigenous seats in parliament, which she replied, “After 200 years of colonisation, where this state took away lands in the settlement, murdered people, and took away culture and language, we are not going to be ruling anything in or out as we go to the negotiation table in regards to treaty.”

Former Treaty Advancement Commissioner Aunty Jill Gallagher, weighed in on treaty negotiations between the state government and Indigenous Victorians. She said, “I think reparations should be on the table. And it might not be in the way of money form; it might be in the way of empowerment, it might be in the way of land, but definitely not private land. No one is going to lose their private land through this Treaty process… I don’t know what Natalie Hutchins or the Government is thinking, but I know land has to be part of the reparations. It would be amazing if our elected body, the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, if land came on the market, that we have the opportunity to buy it also. Being empowered to influence decisions around what happens in our communities is vital in the treaty process. I don't know what that’s going to look like; whether that’s seats in parliament, I have no idea.”

Obviously, the problem with having seats in parliament that only people of a certain ethnicity can attain, they won’t just be ruling for Indigenous Victorians, they’ll have a say over issues that affect all Victorians. So I can’t see how any rational person could agree with this.

It should be noted that last month, in April, Ms Gallagher gave a speech to fellow Indigenous activists laying out a list of 10 demands she said must be part of a statewide treaty. Such demands included: Aboriginal People must be exempt from Land Tax, stamp duty, and council rates (Obviously, this lost revenue would have to be made up through equivalently higher taxes on non-Indigenous Victorians); Interest free loans must be provided to Aboriginal People to purchase homes; Aboriginal People must be exempt from HECS / HELP fees; Tertiary education must be provided to Aboriginal students without charge; Aboriginal history must be taught in all Victorian and Australian schools; and just one more: Aboriginal people must be provided designated seats on local buses, sorry, I mean councils. I was thinking, that was a bit of a strange demand.

They even made a graphical representation of her speech. A few things to note: Aboriginal culture is a gift to white Australia; We need unity to fight and succeed – Well I think a treaty would not result in unity, especially if non-Indigenous people have to pay more in taxes and so on. Actually, I think it would result in the opposite of unity – Division; But the biggest one, the one I mentioned earlier: Transfer of power. Let’s face it, that’s what this is all about. Taking away power from one group of people, and giving it to another.

And just one more thing that I found interesting before I end this video: The Honourable Leeanne Enoch, Minister for Treaty in my home state of Queensland has been doing a bit of jet-setting on the public dime. The Brisbane Times are reporting that documents obtained under right to information laws reveal Ms Enoch travelled around North America with three senior staffers, which cost us taxpayers $126,000 – just a drop in the ocean! While some Queenslanders were living in tents under bridges, she was off visiting around a dozen galleries or museums, and staying in modern-day Canadian castles.

Treaty, anyone? Anyone?

MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn