Victorian Coalition Vows to Scrap First Peoples' Treaty if Elected in 2026

Coalition's Stance on First Peoples' Treaty

The Victorian Coalition has declared that if elected in the November 2026 state election, it would move to repeal Australia's first formal statewide treaty agreement with First Nations peoples within its first 100 days in government. The announcement was made by Opposition Leader Brad Battin and Coalition spokesperson for Aboriginal affairs Melina Bath as the Victorian Parliament's lower house began debating the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.

The Coalition's rationale for this policy is that they do not believe the current treaty process is the most effective way to achieve better outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians. Instead, they propose establishing a new government department, to be named First Nations Victoria. This department would be overseen by a single minister responsible for service delivery, funding, and policy direction. Additionally, the Coalition plans to create an unelected advisory body within this department, contrasting with the democratically elected structure of the existing First Peoples' Assembly. The Coalition had previously withdrawn its support for the treaty process following the failure of the 2023 federal referendum on a Voice to Parliament.

The Victorian Treaty Process: A Decade of Work

Victoria stands as the first Australian jurisdiction to legislate a treaty with First Peoples, a process that commenced with a commitment from the Victorian government in 2016. Key institutions established to facilitate this historic undertaking include:

• The First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria: An independent and democratically elected body representing Traditional Owners and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the state. Established in 2019, its primary role is to set the framework for treaty negotiations.
• The Treaty Authority: An independent body designed to oversee treaty-making, functioning as an 'independent umpire' for negotiations between the Victorian Government and First Peoples. Its establishment was formally agreed upon in June 2022, with inaugural members appointed in December 2023.
• The Yoorrook Justice Commission: Australia's first truth-telling process, launched in May 2021. This commission investigates historical and ongoing injustices experienced by Aboriginal Victorians since colonisation, with its findings intended to inform the broader treaty process.

The Statewide Treaty Bill 2025, formally tabled in the Victorian Parliament on September 9, 2025, aims to formalise a binding agreement and transition the First Peoples' Assembly into a permanent representative body under a new statutory corporation known as Gellung Warl. Official negotiations for the statewide treaty began in November 2024.

Reactions and Future Implications

The Coalition's announcement has drawn sharp criticism from the current government and First Nations leaders. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan described the plan as 'divisive' and warned it would 'rip apart' more than a decade of dedicated work by Victorian First Peoples. Similarly, Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell reiterated her party's support for the treaty bill and accused the Liberal party of fostering division.

Co-chairs of the First Peoples' Assembly, Ngarra Murray and Rueben Berg, addressed the lower house, asserting that 'Our people will no longer tolerate being the political football that politicians kick around looking to further selfish interests.' The next Victorian state election is scheduled for November 28, 2026, where this policy is expected to be a significant point of contention.