National

Indigenous councils receive direct line to government

By AAP Newswire

Oct 21, 2025

Aboriginal rally — First Nations mayors will have direct access to state ministers on major issues under an accord. -AAP Image

First Nations councils will advise a state cabinet under a landmark agreement that has been compared to the failed voice to parliament.

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Almost a year after being told they had lost the trust of Indigenous people, the Queensland government will provide 17 First Nations mayors direct access to ministers under the accord.

The mayors will be able to advise cabinet on major issues affecting their communities after signing the accord at the Local Government Association of Queensland annual conference on Monday.

Lockhart River Mayor Wayne Butcher was among a trio of officials who represented the 17 councils at the historic signing on the Gold Coast.

"We've been working on it for a couple of years now ... it's great to see an outcome," he told AAP.

"Getting government to sign off on an agreement has been very challenging for such a long time - this gives us hope."

It comes one year after Queensland's Liberal National government was slammed for fast-tracking legislation to scrap a path to treaty and a truth-telling inquiry, following the voice referendum.

Queensland Truth-Telling and Healing Inquiry chair Josh Creamer said at the time that the government had snuck through the bill without consultation and had lost the trust of Indigenous people.

Queensland's LNP supported a path to treaty and a truth-telling inquiry when legislation was passed in 2023 but backflipped in opposition after the Indigenous voice referendum was voted down, saying it did not want it to be a divisive issue.

The LNP government tabled the legislation scrapping path to treaty and truth-telling in parliament's opening sitting day after winning the October 2024 election.

Its latest move has been backed by the opposition while earning comparisons with the federal Voice to Parliament taken to the referendum.

"We will always support initiatives that help to close the gap and directly address disadvantage in First Nations communities," opposition spokeswoman for closing the gap and reconciliation Leeanne Enoch said in a statement.

"After the way (Premier) David Crisafulli and the LNP campaigned against a Voice to Parliament, never in my wildest dreams did I expect the LNP to sign an MOU implementing their own."

Victoria is Australia's only state or territory that has introduced treaty legislation to parliament following the failed referendum.