The Country Liberal government says it wants to set up smaller community bodies to empower Indigenous local groups.
The Northern Territory (NT) government has put a stop to its process towards setting up a formal Treaty with Indigenous communities.
NT Indigenous Affairs Minister Steve Edgington said the centre-right Country Liberal Party (CLP) had never backed the Treaty and this was known before the party won power last year.
“We have never supported a treaty,” he told The Epoch Times, in a statement.
“We made it very clear in the lead-up to the 2024 election that our first priority is empowering bush communities with real reforms which deliver meaningful and fair results to Aboriginal Territorians.
The Barunga Agreement, facilitated in 2018 by the former Gunner Labor government, was a memorandum of understanding between the Territory government and four land councils.
It recognised Indigenous land rights and was a step towards establishing a legal framework (the Treaty) to govern relations between the government and Aboriginal bodies.
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Territory taxpayers had already paid $5.3 million for a Treaty Commission and Treaty Office between 2018-19 and 2023-24.
Labor disbanded both bodies in 2022 when the Path to Treaty first began to stall. There has been no further funding allocated.
Giving Power Back to Communities: NT Chief
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said the government’s focus was on returning power back to communities by decentralising the larger bodies that manage Indigenous land and royalties, and instead, replacing them with smaller land councils.
“By decentralising local government, we not only create jobs back in community, but we can start to put more control and more economic development,” she told Stateline.
There have been critics of the decision, with some community members saying elders could pass away without ever seeing their hopes realised.
“It’s devastating for my people right across the territory and there was hopes to see a treaty movement again,” said Northern Land Council Chair Matthew Ryan, in an interview with the ABC.
The member for Mulka, Yiniya Mark Guyula, said the government needed to listen and accept it was wrong, and that the move could cause more damage.
But Minister Edgington responded saying his government wanted to empower more Indigenous communities to have greater control over their futures.
“In 2025, we will commence consultation on empowering bush communities through local government reforms designed to return greater community control and strengthen service delivery for Aboriginal people,” he said.
“We are working in partnership with remote communities and will continue to listen to their concerns, ensuring local government reform is rooted in evidence and effectiveness.
“Our government is focused on empowering Aboriginal communities to have a greater say on the issues which impact them. This will create opportunities for local community members to have a more active role in community development and decision-making processes.”
Federally, NT Senator Jacinta Price, and shadow minister for Indigenous affairs and government efficiency, recently pledged to audit and scrutinise how government funding to Aboriginal bodies is being spent, having previously warned of waste.
