Part 2: The politics and pushback

Speaker 00:00

This is part two of a two-part episode that we're bringing you, recorded back in September of 2025 just after Victoria introduced a bill that will give effect to Australia's first-ever treaty with First Nations people.

Ruby Jones· Host0:11

[instrumental music] Indigenous leaders across the country have welcomed Victoria's first treaty. The legislation will enshrine a democratically elected body for first peoples called Galang wool that will be consulted on laws and policies affecting indigenous communities. And now there are calls for other states and territories to use the Victorian example as a model to establish their own treaties. But there's also predictably pushback, with critics calling it costly and divisive in claims that echo the voice debate. And state and territory leaders across the country are walking away from previous promises and commitments. Today, Rider and 7:00 AM co-host Daniel James, who was also one of the authors of the Europe Commission reports on whether Victoria's treaty marks a turning point or an anomaly. Daniel, Australia's first treaty was introduced into Parliament this week in Victoria. How significant is this moment?

Daniel James· Guest1:08

Well, it's the only time in the history of the, uh, entire country that a treaty has been introduced into a state or federal parliament, has been on the back of, uh, decades of work. But in, in a formal sense, in terms of the actual process of getting this treaty to this point, it's been, um, at least six years. It has