Victoria to become first Australian state to formally table treaty legislation in parliament

Victoria's historic treaty is promising to "reckon with the past" and empower the state's First Peoples — and explicitly declares it will not take anything away from the broader community.

The treaty legislation will formally be tabled in parliament today, and if passed will make permanent the First Peoples' Assembly under a new authority called Gellung Warl.

The assembly, which was set up in 2019 to elect Aboriginal people to negotiate a treaty on their behalf, will have the power to make rules on matters that directly affect First Peoples in Victoria.

"Treaty is built on a simple principle: First Peoples decide First Peoples' issues. This doesn't take anything away from anyone else,'' the treaty says.

It also says: "The State has made the commitment to Treaty because when First Peopl