Tim Smith vows to cross the floor over opposition’s support for Treaty plan

A belligerent Tim Smith has slammed his own party’s support for a Treaty with Victoria’s Aboriginal people, vowing to vote against it.

Tim Smith is set to cross the floor over the opposition’s support for a Treaty with First Nations Victorians. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Outgoing Liberal MP Tim Smith has vowed to cross the floor of parliament in protest against the opposition’s support for the state government’s plans to establish a Treaty.

The state government this month announced it would introduce legislation to establish an “independent umpire” armed with the necessary legal powers to facilitate all Treaty negotiations and resolve any disputes between the state and Indigenous Victorians.

Following a party-room meeting on Tuesday morning, the Liberal Nationals voted in agreement that they would support the Bill put forward by the government.

It will be introduced on Wednesday.

But Mr Smith, who has been at odds with members of his party in recent weeks after being sidelined following a drunken crash, confirmed he would cross the floor.

“I don’t support illiberal and divisive tokenism,” he wrote on Twitter.

“This legislation will do nothing to close the gap.

Tim Smith is set to cross the floor over the opposition’s support for a Treaty with First Nations Victorians. Picture: Ian Currie

“I will be voting against this legislation and as a consequence I will be crossing the floor.”

The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria welcomed the Coalition’s support for the Treaty.

“Treaty is about driving fundamental outcomes for our community by putting Aboriginal people in the driver’s seat,” First Peoples’ Assembly co-chair Aunty Geraldine Atkinson said.

“This is the right side of history.”

The opposition’s Aboriginal Affairs spokesman, and Nationals leader, Peter Walsh said the party is committed to advancing the Treaty process in Victoria in a way that “supports self-determination and reconciliation while strengthening community and connection to country”.

Mr Walsh said Victoria is currently “falling a long way short” of reaching the Closing the Gap targets on a whole range of measures.

“We will continue working closely with Traditional owners and Registered Aboriginal Parties to ensure this process drives genuine progress towards the Closing the Gap targets, as committed by every Australian state and territory,” he said.

Victorian Nationals leader and the opposition’s Aboriginal Affairs spokesman, Peter Walsh. Picture: Andy Rogers

“Treaty is deeply personal, meaning that the road to achieving it will be different things to all people.

“Moving forward we must continue to ensure this process is delivered in a way that respects, and strives to meet, all the community’s ideals and expectations, while contributing positively to reducing disadvantage for Aboriginal Victorians.”

Premier Daniel Andrews said the authority was necessary to make amends with the state’s fractured past.

“We Victorians, we’re always stronger when we sit together and these are really substantial arrangements,” he said.

“They’re really important arrangements for the future, to have truth and justice and to have a Treaty for First Nation Victorians … and to make sure that we can all walk a shared path together.”