Queensland's Path to Treaty
Who's involved?
Path to Treaty Office
The Path to Treaty Office, in the Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts (formerly Department of Seniors, Disability Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships), has been established by the Queensland Government to:
- work with the Interim Truth and Treaty Body to co-design the arrangements for the First Nations Treaty Institute and the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry
- lead Path to Treaty policy and program development across the Queensland Government
- lead Government Treaty Readiness with a whole-of-government Treaty Readiness Committee and a Ministerial Consultative Committee
- develop public awareness of the importance of truth-telling, healing and treaty for Queensland, particularly non-Indigenous Queenslanders.
Interim Truth and Treaty Body
The Interim Truth and Treaty Body (the Board) is a short-term interim body to continue the momentum while the First Nations Treaty Institute and Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry are established.
The Board will:
- design and deliver local truth-telling activities about Queensland’s history with support from Queensland public institutions including art galleries, museums, libraries, and archives
- co-design the Institute and the Inquiry with the Queensland Government
- facilitate research with First Nations peoples to explore community treaty readiness and priorities.
First Nations Treaty Institute
Under the Path to Treaty Act 2023, the First Nations Treaty Institute will be established as a statutory body, operating independently from the Queensland Government.
The Institute functions will include:
- supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups to prepare for treaty negotiations
- co-developing a treaty-making framework with the Queensland Government
- progressing relevant actions from the Inquiry.
Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry
Under the Path to Treaty Act 2023, the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry will:
- provide a public platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Queenslanders to tell their truth
- listen to and record the stories shared
- hold a formal and independent Inquiry into the historical and ongoing impacts of colonisation in Queensland
- talk to Queenslanders about why the treaty process is important for a reconciled Queensland
- inform education and develop shared understandings of First Nations cultures, histories, languages, and traditions
- report the findings of the Inquiry to the Queensland Government
- make recommendations to inform treaty-making.
More information
- Read more about the Interim Truth and Treaty Body.
- Read more about who is involved in Path to Treaty in the Queensland Government Response to the recommendations of the Treaty Advancement Committee.
In this guide: