An Historic Moment: Treaty passes in Victoria
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Perhaps you’ve heard the term “treaty” in regards to peace talks before, but what does it mean? A treaty is a formal agreement between parties, usually nations. It is a negotiated set of rights and obligations.
On 31 October 2025, the Victorian parliament passed the Statewide Treaty Act, becoming the first such agreement between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this land and an Australian government.
Other Australian States and Territories are in various phases of talking about treaty, or in some cases have made no commitments. Do you know what your State or Territory is doing in regards to treaty?
All other major Commonwealth countries already have negotiated treaties with the colonised lands’ first peoples. New Zealand has the Treaty of Waitingi, forged in 1840 between the British Crown and Maori. In Canada, there are multiple treaties between the Crown or the Canadian government and Indigenous peoples.
This is what makes Victoria’s Statewide treaty agreement so important.
Watch the video below for an explanation of Victoria’s Treaty, or read a two-page overview of the treaty prepared by the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet.
"Having attended a recent informative gathering at Murnong Gallery, to explore Treaty with Rueben Berg, Uncle Glenn Loughery, Aunty Sherry Balcombe and Uncle Charles Pakana, I was absolutely thrilled to hear that Treaty had been passed in the Upper House only a few weeks later! As allies, we can all be so proud of the dedication and commitment of the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria and all those involved in the Treaty process. Treaty benefits all Victorians! Uncle Glenn left us with two important questions: How can you decolonise parts of your life? How can we move from being observers to building capacity to contribute?"
Treaty is important as a way to move forward together, acknowledging the past through truth-telling, and paving the way for greater opportunities. Treaty is important to recognise the sovereignty that was never ceded by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations when the British colonised.
The intention of treaty is not to divide; but to unite.
Many of you reading this will be non-Indigenous and possibly allies like me and Marg. As allies, let’s continue to educate ourselves on treaty, and more broadly on Australia’s history.
Additional Resources
Student Activities
- Designed for mid-Primary aged students, our free online interactive module, Connection to Country, explores two personal stories from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders about what their Country means to them.
- ABC’s Behind the News program, designed for school students, has a segment on Victoria’s treaty that you may like to use with your class
Professional Learning
- Explore how you can foster closer engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in our webinar recording, Effectively Engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families.
- Take a deep dive into the documentary series, Australian Wars, an investigation into the Australian frontier wars, prepared by Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunawalli platform
Further Exploration
- Read more about treaty in Australia and some other Commonwealth nations in the fact sheet What is Treaty? from ANTAR. While published in 2022, it is still a worthwhile read from a historical perspective.
- For a shorter read, take a look at this The Conversation article on what is treaty and what it means for First Nations people
About the Author
Andrea (she/her) is a former secondary business education teacher. She was born on Darumbal country in Rockhampton and now lives and works on the land of the Yuggera, Turrbal and Ugarapul people in Ipswich, Queensland.
Copyright
Metadata © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Together for Humanity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Copyright
Metadata © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Together for Humanity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Stage: All
- Curriculum: HASS
- Topics: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander perspectives and histories