Arabic version: الائتلاف يتعهد بإلغاء معاهدة الشعوب الأولى في فيكتوريا
According to The Guardian, Victorian opposition leader Jess Wilson has pledged to introduce legislation repealing the state’s treaty with First Nations people within the first 100 days of a Liberal government if the Coalition wins the 28 November state election.
The Statewide Treaty Act 2025 passed parliament last November, establishing Gellung Warl as a permanent statutory First Peoples representative body. It can make rules on limited matters affecting First Nations peoples, including water-entitlement guidelines, appointments to heritage councils and cultural-safety guidance. It cannot veto policy or legislation.
The Coalition says repeal would save almost $1bn. A Parliamentary Budget Office report requested by Wilson found repealing treaty laws would save taxpayers $948.3m over 10 years. Labor disputed the estimate, saying it included costs for First Nations services and programs separate from treaty.
A Coalition spokesperson said Gellung Warl’s operating costs would be better directed to health, education, housing and community safety. Gellung Warl co-chair Djaran Murray-Jackson said treaty was an investment in stronger communities, economic independence and opportunities for First Peoples businesses.
A July YouGov poll commissioned by First Nations-led not-for-profit Common Threads found 58% of respondents said scrapping Gellung Warl was out of touch with their priorities across inner, outer, provincial and rural electorates. The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation has begun a campaign urging voters to protect treaty.
