Eye-watering amount Aussie taxpayers have forked out for an Indigenous treaty as state edges closer to finalising negotiations

Daily Mail​

a day ago

The Victorian government has already spent at least $382million of taxpayer money negotiating an Indigenous treaty, according to new analysis.
A treaty is expected to be finalised later in 2025, nine years after the state government became the first in the country to formally commit to treaty talks in 2016.
According to treaty reports and budget papers, $382.4 million has been given to the 'self-determination' process over the past decade, The Herald Sun reported.
Some money has gone towards setting up the Treaty Authority, which is overseeing negotiations, with members of the panel earning up to $380,000 a year.
Funding has also supported preparations by First Nations groups for negotiations, public events to inform Indigenous communities about the process, and roundtable discussions on the treaty framework.
Right-wing think tank the Institute of Public Affairs suggested the total figure could be higher.
Their report found that 727 meetings related to treaty development were held between July 2016 and June 2025.
That number could reach 968 by June 2026 if it continues at its current pace, with one meeting taking place every two to three business days.
The Institute's review of government budget papers estimated that a combined $776 million has been spent over the past decade on the treaty, 'self-determination' programs, and Indigenous community initiatives.
However, the documents do not provide a detailed breakdown of spending.
Institute of Public Affairs Research Fellow Margaret Chambers criticised the government's handling of the process.
'The Victorian government is not being honest and upfront with Victorians about its plan to divide the community on racial grounds,' Ms Chambers told the Herald Sun.
'With a treaty scheduled to be finalised inside the next 12 months, and despite the volume of secret meetings over the past decade, very little is known about what this treaty will entail.
'Any treaty will fundamentally change Victoria's legal structure and will likely require already financially stretched Victorian taxpayers to pay billions of dollars to activists aligned to the Allan government.'
New legislation related to the treaty is expected to go before Victoria's parliament in the coming months.
It is understood the bill will enshrine an expanded First Peoples' Assembly.
That would effectively establish a state-based version of the Voice, which was rejected in a national referendum in 2023.
The Victorian government is also negotiating separate treaties with local Indigenous groups.
The details of these agreements and associated costs have not been disclosed.
At the beginning of July, the Victorian government released the findings from the Yoorrook Justice Commission investigating the state's colonial roots.
The Truth Be Told report detailed massacres and frontier violence, labelling it a 'genocide' and investigating the ongoing harms against Aboriginal people.
A Victorian government spokesman slammed the 'cherry-picked analysis from the Liberal Party-aligned think tank'.
'If you listen to the people directly affected by policies, you get better outcomes - that's commonsense,' he said.
'Treaty is about making a better and fairer state for all Victorians - negotiations are underway and we look forward to bringing treaty to the Parliament.'