Wednesday, 7 February 2024

Treaty

Chris COUZENS (Geelong) (17:12): I grieve for Victoria’s First Peoples, who have had to endure another shocking blow by the Liberal–Nationals, who have turned their back on treaty. They have displayed their fake commitment to treaty at the expense of First Peoples. The cultural load that has been carried by First Peoples in recent times is immense. It has been traumatic, and we all know the experiences that First Peoples have had. They have been forced to carry the racism and hateful behaviour thrown at them with issues such as Australia Day, the Voice referendum, treaty, closing the gap, cultural heritage matters and anything else relating to First Peoples. First Peoples in Victoria have to carry that load and the trauma and put up with racism and hateful comments, whether it be on social media or – you know, I heard many stories in my community of First Nations people walking into shops and being abused, particularly during the referendum period but also during the debates, if you want to call them that, around Australia Day or Invasion Day, depending on how you see it.

For those opposite to turn their back on them at this time – I mean, any time is bad, but at a time when they have already been experiencing such great trauma – is unacceptable, and to not even go to those communities, to the First Peoples’ Assembly, and tell them that they were withdrawing their support for treaty is unacceptable. I do not blame Aboriginal communities for being angry at those opposite for what they have done.

I am just so pleased that this government, the Allan government, continues to support what we started seven years ago – seven years of sitting around, letting Aboriginal people, or First Peoples of Victoria, make the decisions about what impacts on them. Good policy is what this is about – allowing Aboriginal people to identify what their community needs, whether it be in the treaty process, Closing the Gap, cultural heritage, whatever it might be. We know that listening – real listening, deep listening ‍– to First Victorians makes a huge difference in the successful outcomes. Some will argue that seven years is too long for this process and it should have happened a long time ago – or should never happen, whatever the argument might be. I am really proud of the fact that we have spent that time, that we have allowed that time, because if we did not, from my experience and that of many First Victorians, it would not work. If we do not do it properly, it just will not work. So I am very proud of the fact that we have allowed that time. Yes, it is a long time, and we have still got a fair way to go yet, but it means that whatever the outcome is, it is going to work for First Victorians – something that all of us on this side of the house want to see.

This is really significant for Victorians, not just First Nations people but all Victorians, because this is a beautiful culture. What often happens is we talk about all the deficits. We talk about the health issues, we talk about drugs and alcohol, family violence – all those things – but at the end of the day what we need to be looking at is supporting this beautiful culture and protecting it and allowing First Peoples to put their treaties to the Treaty Authority and have a really great outcome.

For those opposite to turn their backs is an absolute disgrace. I have listened, particularly during the debate on the Treaty Authority and Other Treaty Elements Bill 2022. That was back in 2022. When I listened to that I actually thought it was weasel words. I did not think it was genuine, and I will go back to that shortly. Now they have just proven that it was all a bit of a farce, for whatever reason. They have not even really given a reason, apart from the cultural heritage side of it, which is absolute rubbish.

Vicki Ward interjected.

Chris COUZENS: Yes, it is completely different. They seem to target these things, whether it be Australia Day or the referendum or cultural heritage, and use them for their own political benefit. My view of what is going on right now with their withdrawal of support for treaty is that most Victorian people are already on that journey. I have not had one person say to me ‘Oh, I support what the Liberal Party have done’ – not one. They have been horrified at the fact that they have withdrawn that bipartisan support that they committed to without even talking to First Nations people about why they actually did it. They did not tell them, but also did not ask questions about it and did not ask questions about the cultural heritage matters that have been in the media recently. But then we have dodgy developers coming out and saying they are being overcharged and there are all these terrible things happening, which in fact have been proven to be untrue. Who is encouraging that? Who is throwing fuel on the fire to allow this garbage to continue at the expense of First Peoples of Victoria? They are the ones carrying the load. We are horrified by it and we have great empathy for their experiences, but we are not the ones that are suffering. We are not the ones that are being abused in the street or on social media or whose children are experiencing that at school. We need to be really mindful of that, and obviously those opposite no longer care about the impacts of that. That is clear. The fact that they have not actually sat down and had a conversation with First People is an absolute disgrace, and I support the First Peoples’ Assembly in their condemnation of what those opposite have done.

We know from that deep listening with First Peoples that started I will say seven years ago – I am sure it was earlier than that, but the journey started seven years ago under treaty – to sit down and listen. We get it. We understand what that means and how closing the gap and truth telling are really important to this whole process. We heard from the Productivity Commission today that the only way forward is through that deep listening, self-determination and really making transformative change, which is what we are doing in Victoria. I have to say, when I move around this country, which I do occasionally, and go to other states, people say to me that they want what we have got in Victoria, particularly the Aboriginal communities. They want what we have got in Victoria because we are making that transformative change, which is what the Productivity Commission is talking about in their report today.

I know we have a long way to go. I am not saying it is all perfect and we have got it down pat because we have not, but the fact that we continue to listen and act on what First Peoples in Victoria are telling us is what really matters, and as I said earlier, that is what works. We allow them to lead what is best for their communities. That is what closing the gap is supposed to be all about. As governments around this country we have a responsibility. We have all signed up to the Closing the Gap agreement. There were significant changes made a couple of years ago in the reforms, but that deep listening is so important not only to areas of treaty but also to closing the gap. We know that that will make a difference. We know closing the gap will make a difference, but it is taking too long. What treaty will do in Victoria is help close that gap and address the issues that impact on First Peoples every day of their lives.

I know this side of the house and many Victorians understand the importance of closing the gap. Whether it be in health or education, employment, training, all those areas, as I said, we have got a long way to go to close the gap. But it has been identified by First Victorians that that is a key part of the treaty process, of making sure that they are providing for their communities what their communities need. They know what they need. They can tell you right here and now what their communities need to ensure that that gap starts to close. But it is up to governments, including ours, to work with them to make sure that in closing the gap the needs of their communities are being met.

A member: They don’t need white paternalism.

Chris COUZENS: No, that is right. We do have a long way to go. As I said, I am not suggesting that we have solved all the problems – far from it. But the important thing is that we continue to listen, and we continue to allow First Nations people to look at what treaty means to them. It is really exciting that those commissioners are coming on board. That will make a huge difference, and that will start later this year.

In speaking on that bill to establish the treaty commission, as I said earlier, I thought that there were some weasel words from those opposite, and I do not think from memory they had a lot of speakers either. We did hear from the member for Murray Plains, who in his speech said:

The Liberal and National parties absolutely support this legislation and want to see the whole process progress further. The … journey will mean different things to different people, and it will be a difficult process for a lot of people. There is no argument about that – that as we work through these issues, as we have worked through the discussions, they will not always be easy. But I think the first thing is the truth telling that has been going on, because as people would say, the truth sets you free. Whatever the truth is, the truth is, and we need to acknowledge that truth and move forward. But as the Leader of the Opposition said yesterday, it is important that those discussions are actually respectful and that that journey is carried out in a respectful manner. It is not about conflict, it is about actually resolving past conflicts and making sure we walk forward together, as I have said.

The member stated that the truth sets you free, so why is he leading the opposition away from the truth? Why is he turning his back on Aboriginal Victorians in the most disrespectful way? Why won’t he tell the Victorian people the truth and explain that the opposition’s walk away from treaty is really about Peter Dutton, clearly holding the opposition hostage with his fake agenda on the right?

We will not be telling Aboriginal communities what is best for them. We know that that has not worked for over 200 years, and we are not in the business of repeating history, unlike those opposite. This is a government that will fight for the future of Aboriginal Victorians – for all Victorians – and as I have said, I think we need to not politicise this. We have all been saying it for the last seven years, and now suddenly those opposite have decided to politicise it. There are some comments that others have made. The Western Victoria Region upper house member Bev McArthur, her comments have been absolutely disgraceful – that First Nations people should be grateful for what we gave them. Well, we gave them smallpox and measles; we took their land, took their language and took their children. Why would they be grateful for that? I think those opposite need to have a serious think about the decisions they have made and the impact that they are having on First Nations people right now, start looking at how they can make a difference and join the government in ensuring that treaty has a successful and smooth pathway.