Victoria moves towards historic Treaty with First Peoples

The Parliamentary Library has prepared a Bill Brief that provides an overview of the Bill and the process leading up to its introduction. 

The treaty process began in 2016 with the formation of the Aboriginal Treaty Working Group. Since then, Victoria has passed the Advancing the Treaty Process with Aboriginal Victorians Act 2018, held two elections for the First Peoples’ Assembly, and established the Treaty Authority and Yoorrook Justice Commission. 

Negotiations for the statewide treaty officially commenced in November 2024, culminating in the Bill’s introduction on 9 September 2025. 

The Bill, developed in partnership with the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, marks a significant milestone in the state’s decade-long journey toward truth, justice, and self-determination. 

If passed, the legislation will formalise a binding agreement between the Victorian Government and First Peoples, establishing a new representative body “Gellung Warl” and enshrining mechanisms for truth-telling, accountability, and future treaty-making. 

Gellung Warl will comprise three distinct arms. The Bill Brief describes the Gellung Warl and details the functions of its decision-making arm of the First People’s Assembly, its truth-telling body Nyerna Yoorrook Telkuna, and its accountability arm Nginma Ngainga Wara.  

The Bill Brief explores the varied responses to the the Bill and Treaty, including summarising the views of the opposition, crossbench, First Nations and other stakeholders. 

The paper details the progress of other Australian states and territories on developing treaties, and it details how these processes have altered in response to changes in government or in the political climate.

Treaty also has a long history overseas, and the paper provides an outline of the roles of treaties in different contexts, including selected treaties between Indigenous peoples and colonial and post-colonial governments in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Canada and the United States.