LNP leader David Crisafulli to consider deal to preference Greens over Labor

Queensland’s Liberal National Party has withdrawn support for state Indigenous treaty laws it helped pass this year that would pave the way for a truth-telling inquiry and reparations.

LNP leader David Crisafulli. Picture Lachie Millard

Queensland’s Liberal National Party has withdrawn support for state Indigenous treaty laws it helped pass this year that would pave the way for a truth-telling inquiry and hundreds of millions of dollars in reparations.

In a spectacular retreat, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli announced he no longer backs the Palaszczuk government’s legislation that enables separate treaty deals with up to 150 First Nation groups across the state.

Mr Crisafulli, who, polling suggests, is on track to win government at next year’s state election, has faced criticism over his support of the laws, including from the LNP membership and the federal opposition.

His backdown comes days after Queensland delivered the strongest rejection of the voice, with 68.9 per cent voting no in the referendum, some 4 per cent higher than the next state against constitutional change, South Australia.

Only three of 30 federal electorates in Queensland voted in favour of the voice, all Greens-held seats in Brisbane.

In a statement to The Australian, Mr Crisafulli said he feared the treaty process would cause the same division as the voice referendum. “Sadly, over the past six months Australia, and Queensland, has been subject to one of the most divisive debates in my life,” he wrote.

“The Prime Minister was repeatedly warned if he pursued the path he chose for the referendum it would only lead to division, and it did.

“Instead of listening to the people, Labor stubbornly blundered on. I will not make the same mistake the Prime Minister did.”

Branches across the state passed motions earlier this year calling on Mr Crisafulli to rescind support for treaty laws and repeal them if the LNP wins the election.

After The Australian revealed outrage among senior LNP figures, federal politicians and grassroots members in May, Mr Crisafulli insisted he would “absolutely not” reverse laws if he became premier and insisted treaties were “an ­opportunity to outline a better way forward for Indigenous ­communities”.

In his speech to parliament supporting treaty laws, Mr Crisafulli said the path to treaty was something Queensland “should embrace wholeheartedly”.

Now he says he changed his mind in the days after the referendum.

“Reconciliation should be our shared goal and requires a united purpose,” he wrote.

“It’s clear to me that Queenslanders do not want to continue down a path that leads to more division and uncertainty. Considering all these factors, it has now become clear a Path to Treaty is not the right way forward for Queensland.

“The LNP can no longer support a Path to Treaty and will not pursue one if elected to government.”

Under treaty laws, a three-year truth-telling inquiry would travel the state to investigate the “impacts of colonisation”.

The exact number of Queensland treaties, which could take years to finalise, are unknown but the Palaszczuk government has confirmed each one is likely to be worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars apiece.

Traditional owners will lead negotiations on what they want in their treaties, but may ask for repatriations, joint management of national parks, renaming of places, changes to school curriculums and reforms introduced in health, criminal justice and child protection.

Mick Gooda, an architect of the state’s treaty laws, told The Australian on Monday the Treaty Institute and truth-telling inquiry would begin work early next year.

“We’ve got to keep going, this treaty is once in a lifetime and so we are putting our heads down and making sure these things work,” he said.

Mr Gooda said even though the voice referendum had failed, treaties would give opportunities for Indigenous people to have a say on how health, housing and justice services were run in their communities.

“That is what I am in there fighting for, exactly that,” he said. “We’re just going ahead full-bore. We don’t have an option, we have to keep going.”