LNP split over Queensland Indigenous Path to Treaty laws

Railing against the voice and treaties, the National Party leader set the stage for fiery debate about state leader David Crisafulli’s support for Queensland Path to Treaty laws.

Nationals leader David Littleproud addresses the party faithful at the LNP state convention in Brisbane on Saturday. Picture: NCA NewsWIRE/Tertius Pickard

Nationals leader David Littleproud has laid bare the split in Queensland’s Liberal National Party over state Opposition leader David Crisafulli’s support for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Path to Treaty legislation.

There has been simmering outrage in LNP ranks after Mr Crisafulli’s state LNP voted for the landmark treaty legislation, which will allow the government to negotiate treaty deals with First Nations groups.

Most treaty deals will likely include financial settlements worth hundreds of millions of dollars apiece.

Federal Coalition politicians have told The Australian they were angry their state counterparts backed the legislation, believing it undermined Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s campaign against the Indigenous voice to parliament.

In rebuttal, some state MPs say they need to focus only on the key issues ahead of the next state election – youth crime, health and housing – and not rock the boat on other policy areas.

In his address to the LNP state convention, Mr Littleproud continued to rail against the voice, and extended his criticism to treaties.

“I find no circumstances that I can see our party room even accepting a treaty. We don’t believe a treaty is necessary,” Mr Littleproud told the party faithful.

“We believe our great nation has come together (and) will continue to come together and work together.”

There is expected to be a fiery debate behind closed doors at the convention on Saturday afternoon about Path to Treaty, and the LNP’s support of the legislation.

The argument will be held in closed session “to protect David (Crisafulli)”, LNP sources said.

Queensland LNP Opposition leader David Crisafulli at the LNP state convention in Brisbane on Saturday. Picture: NCA Newswire/Tertius Pickard

At a press conference outside the convention, Mr Littleproud declined to comment on the state LNP’s support of the laws.

But he said a treaty was not necessary, because white settlers had not been at “war” with Australia’s First Nations people.

“We’ve never been at war with Indigenous Australians,” he said. “We’ve never been at war in this country. We’ve worked hand-in-hand, with genuine intent about making sure the opportunity, no matter your race, no matter your religion, is provided in this great country.

“And where it isn’t, then we’ve stepped in with great generosity as a nation to make sure that we put the resources of this nation to ensure that the opportunity is provided where it’s not. And this country has done that with billions of dollars, and it’s just that it’s been mistargeted.”

Asked about frontier massacres carried out by settlers against Aboriginal people, Mr Littleproud said there had been “mistakes made”.

“There were mistakes in areas across our country when it was settled.

“No one’s walking away from the fact that there was mistakes made by those that settled this country. There was conflict between tribes in this country as well, Indigenous tribes. But as a nation, we have walked forward effectively from that moment … we’ve got to acknowledge there were some mistakes.”

“When someone loses their life, and it was perpetrated by somebody, that’s a serious crime.”

“But it wasn’t that those that came here, the English that came here, came here with the intent of starting a war and wiping out a race of people. That wasn’t, that wasn’t what happened, that there was outbreaks in certain areas. That’s the history.”

Earlier on Saturday, Mr Dutton used his speech to accuse Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of setting Australia “on a course to division” by pressing for an Indigenous voice to parliament.

“Now is time for the Prime Minister to reconsider his position,” Mr Dutton said.

“Knowingly, the path he has us on … a No outcome … if he has us on that pathway, it’s incumbent on him as a leader of our country to act in the national interest.”