By Jano Gibson
Key points:
- A treaty was promised by former Prime Minister Bob Hawke 30 years ago
- Land councils met last week to discuss details of a MOU for a Northern Territory treaty.
- The MOU would provide a framework for future discussions about what would be included in a treaty.
The Northern Territory's Aboriginal land councils have asked the Chief Minister to sign a memorandum of understanding for a treaty at this year's Barunga Festival.
It's been almost 30 years since former prime minister Bob Hawke promised a treaty at the 1988 Barunga Festival, after he was presented with the Barunga Statement, which called for greater Indigenous rights.
While a national treaty has never eventuated, state-based treaty processes .
The Northern Territory's four land councils met in Darwin last week to map out the details of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a Northern Territory treaty.
The MOU would provide a framework for future discussions about what would be included in a treaty.
"The current Northern Territory Chief Minister has put it on the table and the land councils are taking a first step to start a process to respond to that," the Northern Land Council's CEO Joe Morrison said.
The land councils want the signing of an MOU to coincide with the Barunga Festival in June.
"The 30-year anniversary of the Barunga Statement represents perhaps a unique opportunity to reset the process and ensure that Aboriginal people are leading front and centre when it comes to these kinds of things," Mr Morrison said.
He said an MOU would ensure Indigenous Territorians are driving the treaty agenda.
"We don't want to see governments and anyone else come up with ideas on behalf of Aboriginal people because we've seen the sorts of messes that unfold," he said.
Mr Morrison said the MOU should include formal recognition of past wrongs, and ultimately lead to a better future for Aboriginal people.
"I think there's a need for the levels of leadership in the Northern Territory and the Commonwealth to realise the deep injustices," he said.
"The high levels of violence that took place with settlement and dispossession in the Northern Territory and that (needs) to be the first point of call.
"And obviously there are issues associated with outstanding claims to land, and getting some formal settlement process bedded down."
The Northern Territory's only Indigenous member of Cabinet, Ken Vowles, said the Government would work cooperatively with the land councils.
"We can have policies and we can have dates and timeframes that we want to achieve things, but if we don't have the support of those land councils then this is going to go nowhere really fast," Mr Vowles said.
He said a final treaty is unlikely to be signed in this term of government, but he remained hopeful it would happen in the future.
"I'd love to see a treaty done. But we are only getting one chance at this, one chance. So we must do it right."
Source:
Related to SDG 10: Reduced inequalities and SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
