Your Qld Path to Treaty questions answered

The landmark passing of the Path to Treaty legislation in Queensland has raised a lot of questions. Here’s what you need to know.

The landmark passing of the Path to Treaty legislation in Queensland on Wednesday night has raised a lot of questions. We’ve sought to answer some of the big ones.

1. Will my suburb name change without consultation?

The Queensland Government regularly consults on updating place names and will continue to do so. If place name changes are requested as part of a specific treaty negotiation, the usual process to undertake consultation on place name changes that already exists will be followed.

2. Will my taxes increase to pay treaties?

Queensland’s $300 million Path to Treaty Fund was established in 2021 as a major investment in reconciliation and healing to ensure funding certainty and remove any impact on consolidated revenue. Returns from the Fund will be used to progress Queensland’s Path to Treaty, providing a secure funding source for treaty-making activities in Queensland.

3. Will the government be looking at disengaged youth and crime issues?

The Government has recently introduced a raft of measures to tackle the complex causes of youth crime and hold serious repeat offenders to account.

4. How much will the government budget for this?

On 15 June 2021, as part of the Queensland Budget, the Government provided financial security for the treaty process by establishing the $300 million Path to Treaty Fund. Returns from the Fund will be used to progress Queensland’s Path to Treaty, providing a secure funding source for treaty-related activities in Queensland.

5. Will the curriculum change the way colonisation of Australia is taught? What other curriculum changes do you foresee?

The information gathered from the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry process will help inform the community and Government of the history of colonisation and ongoing impacts. It will also inform the First Nations Treaty Institute in its work towards readiness for treaty negotiations.

Material and information gathered from the Inquiry process will also be a valuable resource for Queensland schools to support the teaching of a complete history of Queensland, particularly histories from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective.

The Parliamentary committee acknowledged the important role education plays in creating an accurate historical discourse and normalising language and culture and recognised the Queensland Government’s responsibility to educate the Queensland community. The committee recommended that the Queensland school curriculum reflects the shared history of the State of Queensland.

The Queensland Government response noted that this recommendation will be achieved through delivery of the updated Version 9 Australian Curriculum and relevant Senior Secondary curriculum from 2024.

6. How does this Treaty and Truth Telling line up with The Voice?

The Path to Treaty aligns with the Uluru Statement from the Heart themes of Voice, Treaty, and Truth and echoes other work happening in Queensland and at the national level that seeks to uphold the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is important that the national conversation continues. This can occur at the same time as, and separately to, Queensland’s Path to Treaty.

The Path to Treaty also aligns with other Queensland reforms that seek to uphold First Nations aspirations. This includes Local Thriving Communities, focusing on local decision-making and service delivery, and First Nations Voice options, including exploring a state-based representative body through a co-design process.

7. Could I lose land that I own as part of this Treaty? Will I be compensated by the government if so?

No.

8. What communities will the government travel to for the Truth Telling?

The Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry, through its five Inquiry Members, will determine its schedule and the location of communities that it will travel to over its three-year term.

9. How and when will Aboriginal and Torres Strait people get the opportunity to be involved in Truth Telling and Treaty meetings?

See above.

Originally published as Your Qld Path to Treaty questions answered