The Victorian parliament has suspended its regular work today to welcome members of the First People’s Assembly to the lower house to address parliamentarians before debating the historic Treaty Authority bill.
A smoking ceremony was held this morning on the steps of the House of Parliament, attended by cabinet ministers, high-ranking members of the Coalition, members of the Victoria Greens and federal state senators.
A group of people, including Victorian MPs, attended a smoking ceremony on the steps of Parliament on Wednesday ahead of the debate on the Treaty Authority bill. Credit: Justin McManus
Deputies were joined by about 25 members of the Assembly, including its co-chairs Aunty Geraldine Atkinson and Marcus Stewart. A smoking ceremony is a traditional method of cleaning a space or body before an important event.
Standing orders in the lower house were later suspended to welcome Atkinson and Stewart to the legislature.
The co-chairs introduced members of the First People’s Assembly before delivering a speech urging parliament to support the bill.
First Nations Peoples Assembly Co-Chairs Aunt Geraldine Atkinson and Marcus Stewart are introduced to Parliament. Credit: Justin McManus
Aboriginal Secretary of State Gabrielle Williams described the Treaty Authority as a single body and said the government hoped its bill would receive bipartisan support.
“This is a historic day on our path to freedom,” Williams said.
“This is incredibly historic and a moment in Victoria that we should all be very proud of.
“The establishment of the Treaty Authority body is a key step on our path to the Treaty, it is a key facilitator for our negotiations that will begin next year and a completely unique body that puts the aborigines in the middle.
“It’s the first of its kind in Australia.”
Although outspoken opposition Tim Smith promised to vote against the treaty bill this week, Williams said he expected broad support from the Coalition.
“The opposition has been a bit confused in their messages about the Treaty over the last two years, and we’ve seen that confusion come in the last few days,” Williams said.
“We hope that bipartisan support will be above party politics. It is fundamentally about building a future for Victorians that we can all be part of and reaching an agreement with a past that has been very traumatic.
“So I hope that today we will get a unified opposition in their support of the bill, but I am concerned that we will see them divided on this.”