Victorian Coalition vows to scrap Australia’s first statewide treaty with First Peoples if it wins government

Victorian opposition leader Brad Battin. The Coalition will repeal the state’s forthcoming treaty agreement within 100 days if it wins the 2026 election. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

The Victorian Coalition has announced that if elected in 2026 it will scrap Australia’s first formal statewide treaty agreement with First Nations peoples within 100 days of government.

As Victorian parliament’s lower house begins debate on the statewide treaty bill on Tuesday, the opposition leader, Brad Battin, and the Coalition spokesperson for Aboriginal affairs, Melina Bath, announced their plan to repeal the agreement.