In this article, Margaret Chambers contextualises and disseminates the IPA’s research on the Victorian treaty.
Since its founding, Victoria has been at the forefront of democratic integrity. Our democracy has been built on the bedrock principle of “one vote, one value”, meaning that your vote has exactly the same importance as the next person’s – no matter your bank balance, background or race.
But this will change if the Allan government’s Statewide Treaty Bill passes parliament. This Bill will divide Victorians by race, granting special privileges and extra votes to people based solely on their background.
The Bill also exposes Victorians to endless legal risk, and paves the way for reparations, which could take the form of restitution of traditional lands, compensation and tax relief, as called for by the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
If you think we have been here before, you are right.
What the Allan government has presented is a far more extreme Voice to Parliament proposal than even Anthony Albanese took to the people in 2023 – a proposal that Victorians overwhelmingly rejected with a
54 per cent No vote.
The Bill’s 246 pages contain numerous clauses that will fundamentally alter Victoria’s democracy.
At the heart of the legislation is the creation of a new body called Gellung Warl, comprised solely of Aboriginal politicians. While only a fraction of Victorians will vote for this new body, namely Aboriginal Victorians above the age of 16, it will have broad power to determine the direction of the state government, effectively becoming an unaccountable third chamber of parliament.
The body will also be able to change place names around the state.
The Bill also establishes the mechanism to enable future, additional treaties between the state and local Aboriginal groups.
Research by the Institute of Public Affairs has found the total financial cost of a treaty to the Victorian government could amount to more than $48bn a year if these guidelines and international precedent are followed, as the activists have demanded.
Jacinta Allan’s plan will also see the Victorian curriculum rewritten. Students will be subjected to compulsory “truth-telling” lessons, designed by activists, in every school subject from prep to year 10.
There is no democratic mandate for the Statewide Treaty Bill. It is exactly the system that Victorians emphatically rejected at the 2023 referendum.
The looming tragedy of Victorian politics is that this will be forced upon us anyway, and we will be made to pay for it for decades to come.
