MELBOURNE (Australia): Victoria has commenced the inaugural elections for its newly established First Nations treaty body, a landmark development linked to the state’s historic Indigenous treaty, with voting under way in a multi-week process that began on March 21 and runs until April 12. The vote will determine representatives to the body known as Gellung Warl, the statutory body created under the Statewide Treaty Act of 2025, the first formal treaty between an Australian government and traditional owner groups.
As many as 70 candidates are contesting for 25 seats across five regions – north-east (3 seats), north-west (3 seats), south-east (3 seats), south-west (3 seats) and metropolitan (10 seats). The importance of lived experience and Indigenous sovereignty in shaping policy and reforms is being emphasized. Candidates stress that representation grounded in lived experience is essential for meaningful engagement with government and successful implementation of treaty commitments. The outcome of the election will shape how the treaty is implemented and how the assembly advises the Victorian government on matters affecting First Nations communities.
Gellung Warl, meaning “tip of the spear” in the Gunaikurnai language, was established following the signing of the Statewide Treaty on November 13, 2025, and subsequent passage of the Statewide Treaty Act later that month. The treaty and legislation formalized a representative structure through which Victoria’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can influence government decisions and pursue agreements on a wide range of social, economic and cultural issues.
Although the treaty body will not have powers to make laws, it will have a mandate to implement treaty outcomes and work with the government on policies affecting First Nations people. Its roles include advising ministers, monitoring progress on treaty commitments and coordinating reforms negotiated in the treaty process. These reforms encompass initiatives such as changes to school history curricula, allocation of community infrastructure grants, dual-naming of places, and the framework for negotiating local treaties with traditional owner groups.
This is the third time elections are being held for the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria, which has existed since 2019, but it is the first election since the body was promised an expanded role as part of the treaty. The First Peoples Assembly of Victoria is the independent and democratically elected body to represent the traditional owners of the country and the aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples in Victoria.
Victoria remains the only Australian state that has progressed to an enforceable treaty. Other jurisdictions have made various commitments toward treaty or Indigenous voice processes in recent years, progress has been mixed, with some halting or abandoning initiatives. Discussions are still being held in New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory (ACT), the process to sign a treaty was abandoned in Tasmania. The process towards a treaty is under way in South Australia, the only other state that has made some progress. In Queensland, the process was ended after a new government led by the Liberal National Party (LNP) was elected. In Northern Territory also, the process was stopped last year.
However, even in Victoria, the Victorian Liberal Party has promised to cancel the treaty if it wins government in the state election due later this year, arguing that it is not the right approach to delivering outcomes for First Nations people.
The newly elected Gellung Warl is scheduled to officially commence its work in May.
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