Australia’s first peoples are on the lowest rung of our society and are largely locked out of the wealth of a very affluent country. This book takes a fresh, practical look at whether modern treaty-making between Indigenous peoples and government in Australia is feasible and whether a treaty could help Australia solve some of these practical problems – as well as problems of principle. In doing so, it looks at the successes and failures of treaties in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand.

Treaty challenges readers to take seriously the question whether, after the Mabo case and the Reconciliation movement, Australia too should go down the treaty path.

Table of Contents

Forewords by The Rt Hon Malcolm Fraser AC CH and Professor Marcia Langton AM

The Treaty Debate
Treaty at the Policy and Practical Level
Indigenous Peoples and the Law
The Question of Sovereignty
What Can we Learn from Overseas?
What does Native Title Offer?
Models for an Australian Treaty
The Path Forward