Scrapped indigenous treaty negotiations cost SA taxpayers $1.8 million

SCRAPPED treaty negotiations with South Australia’s indige­nous groups cost taxpayers $1.8 million, The Advertiser can reveal.

• Premier Steven Marshall promises to scrap treaty talks

SCRAPPED treaty negotiations with South Australia’s indige­nous groups cost taxpayers $1.8 million, The Advertiser can reveal.

The previous Labor government spent $1.8 million on treaty negotiations since the then Aboriginal affairs minister Kyam Maher announced them in December 2016.

Premier Steven Marshall axed Labor’s treaty discussions after winning March’s state election. He had previously labelled state-based treaties a “cruel hoax”. Mr Marshall this week said treaties should be negotiated at the federal level.

The $1.8 million cost included the salaries of Treaty Commissioner Roger Thomas and three other employees.

The amount is only $8000 more than the former government predicted in the 2016-17 Mid Year Budget Review.

Mr Maher initially pledged $4.4 million over five years to create treaties with dozens of indigenous groups in SA.

He told The Advertiser that the treaty process was the “most significant piece of Aboriginal affairs reform South Australia has embarked on”.

He said treaties were “the way Australia is heading” given Victoria and the Northern Territory are actively pursuing treaties.

“Two hundred and thirty years later this is something we need to finish off as a nation,” Mr Maher said.