Treaty

The ACT Government committed to starting Treaty conversations in the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2019‑2028.

As part of the Phase One action plan focused on cultural integrity, the government committed to:

• working with traditional owners to hear their thoughts on Treaty
• supporting a joint understanding of the opportunity for and implications of a Treaty process for the ACT.

The Treaty process is complex and will take time. There is no fixed timeline and similar processes in other jurisdictions have taken many years.

Throughout the process, there will be many opportunities for all Aboriginal people connected to the ACT to be heard.

The government is committed to building a society in the ACT that:

• supports the aspirations of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• contributes to the building of respectful, fair and sustainable communities.

In early 2022, Professor Kerry Arabena was appointed to facilitate preliminary talks about what a Treaty would mean for the ACT’s Traditional Custodians. The report was made public on 6 July 2022.

• Implementation Pathways to Achieve Ngunnawal, First Nations Peoples and ACT Government Treaties report [PDF 1.7 MB]
• Read Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith’s statement