A motion in support of a Treaty process passed the NSW Upper House last night, calling on the Government to work with the Parliament to ensure a Treaty process is supported beyond the election cycle. The motion was brought by Greens MP and spokesperson for First Nations Justice Sue Higginson and supported by the Government, the Animal Justice Party and Legalise Cannabis Party, centring the principles of Free Prior Informed and Ongoing Consent (FPIC) in line with the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Ms Higginson said: “This is an important signal to First Nations communities across the State that there is support in the Parliament for progressing a Treaty process. A Treaty will set the framework to move forward together, to begin the work of addressing the root causes of the challenges First Nations people continue to experience.
“It is encouraging to have this show of support from the Parliament for a Treaty process that the Government took to the NSW election. First Nations people have waited for too long for their sovereignty to be recognised by the State and for power to be handed back to them and their communities.
“The principle of Free Prior Informed and Ongoing Consent (FPIC) is imperative from the very beginning of the process to ensure First Nations people are empowered with the knowledge and capacity to meaningfully engage with any consultation process and the power imbalance between the State and those in the community is addressed.
“The hellscape of colonisation began for First Nations people just a few hundred metres from NSW Parliament. The steps toward justice must be underpinned by a Treaty or Treaties that are agreed by all parties, to move forward together.
“Any agreement making must be underpinned by UNDRIP – this is fundamental to the process being determined by First Nations people, giving them the opportunity to define what a consultation process and then a Treaty or Treaties might look like on their own terms.” Ms Higginson said.
