Path to Treaty

Path to Treaty is the journey to create a new future between First Nations peoples and all Queenslanders.

When Queensland was settled, there was no treaty agreement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first custodians. First Nations peoples were displaced from their land without any negotiation, resulting in political, economic and social inequalities that continue to this day.

In 2019 the Queensland Government committed to a reframed relationship with First Nations peoples, issuing a statement of commitment (PDF, 947 KB) and shortly afterwards appointing an Eminent Panel of experts to report on the way forward to treaty. A Treaty Working Group, working to the direction of the Eminent Panel, undertook community consultations around Queensland in 2019 and provided a report to the Eminent Panel (PDF, 6.5 MB) to inform their advice to government. 

In February 2020 the Eminent Panel gave their advice and recommendations (PDF, 175 KB) to the Queensland Government. In May 2020 the Eminent Panel updated their advice (PDF, 155 KB) to include COVID-19 considerations. 

In August 2020 the Queensland Government accepted, or accepted in principle, the recommendations of the Eminent Panel and released a statement of commitment and response (PDF, 574 KB).

The next stage will be establishing a Treaty Advancement Committee to partner with the Queensland Government on implementing the Eminent Panel recommendations.

Key documents