Tax Exemptions, Political Positions Among Demands From Victorian Aboriginal Group

Victorian Indigenous elder and former Treaty Advancement Commissioner Aunty Jill Gallagher has presented a list of 10 demands which she said “must be part of a statewide treaty.” The Treaty negotiation process—committed to by the state Labor government in 2018—officially commenced in 2022, with the introduction of empowering legislation in the Victorian Parliament following an agreement with the “First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.” It established a Treaty Authority as an “independent umpire” to oversee negotiations between the government and Aboriginal Victorians and to resolve any disputes. The Framework doesn’t preclude one party from advancing a non-negotiable list of demands, but nor does it appear to envisage it....