Tasmanian government walks away from treaty but commits to truth-telling and healing commission

The state government has walked away from pursuing a treaty with Tasmanian Aboriginal people but has announced funding for a historic initiative it says will further the cause of reconciliation.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jacquie Petrusma. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The Tasmanian government has abandoned its plan to pursue a treaty with the state’s Aboriginal population but has committed to funding the establishment of a truth-telling commission aimed at “healing the wounds of the past” and furthering the cause of reconciliation.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jacquie Petrusma announced on Tuesday that the 2025-26 state budget would facilitate the creation of two Aboriginal truth-telling commissioners “to begin a Tasmanian Aboriginal-led journey toward truth-telling, healing, and relationship-building with Tasmanian Aboriginal people and the broader Tasmanian community”.

The state’s Aboriginal population was forcibly removed from ancestral lands as a result of the colonisation of Tasmania by the British and was almost wiped out by violence and disease.

The Aboriginal, Tasmanian and Australian flags flying above the Supreme Court in Hobart. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

Ms Petrusma said the Aboriginal Advisory Group on Truth-telling and Treaty had provided interim advice to the government, which included the appointment of independent commissioners to “guide a genuine, Aboriginal-led, truth-telling and healing process for Tasmanian Aboriginal people”.

She said this advice, as well as “extensive engagement” with the Aboriginal community, had led the government to determine it would “focus its efforts on a healing journey for the whole Tasmanian community, walking together on a shared pathway”.

Former Premier Peter Gutwein announced in 2021 that the government would commence a truth-telling and treaty process.

But Ms Petrusma said in a statement that the government would no longer pursue a treaty and that the commitment to truth-telling was “a moment of deep significance for Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and one that reflects our commitment to listen, learn, and act”.

Former Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein after he tabled a treaty report in parliament that was co-authored by professors Kate Warner and Tim McCormack. Picture: Chris Kidd

“It is a critical and necessary step towards recognising past injustices, gaining a greater understanding of the contemporary challenges being faced by Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and making real progress in healing the wounds of the past,” she said.

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said in parliament on Wednesday that she shared “the deep disappointment of many Tasmanian Aboriginal people that [the government] appears to have abandoned [its] promise of a treaty”.

The government will work with Tasmanian Aboriginal people to appoint the new commissioners and determine the next steps in the truth-telling process.

Ms Petrusma said the state budget included a broader investment of $4.4m into Closing the Gap and improving the lives and outcomes of the Aboriginal population.

Rodney Dillon, a member of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Advisory Group for Truth-telling and Treaty, welcomed the government’s announcement and said the group’s conversations with the community had made it clear that a “Tasmanian Aboriginal-led commissioner model was the next important step we needed to take”.

Rodney Dillon, a member of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Advisory Group for Truth-telling and Treaty. Picture: Chris Kidd

Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania chair Greg Brown said indigenous Tasmanians had “endured and resisted policies of dispossession, forced removal, and cultural suppression” for more than 200 years.

He said truth-telling would “underpin” the pathway to treaty.

“A treaty cannot be built on silence or denial,” Mr Brown said. “Truth-telling lays the foundation for treaty by clearly showing why it is needed.”

Reconciliation Tasmania CEO Pauline Cook said truth-telling would facilitate “meaningful conversation and healing” and deliver “pathways for addressing systemic injustices”.

“This dual impact is necessary if we are to see a future for Tasmania that is built on unity and mutual understanding,” she said.

Originally published as Tasmanian government walks away from treaty but commits to truth-telling and healing commission