Andrew Thorpe, the son of independent senator Lidia Thorpe, has left his job in construction to run for a seat in Victoria's First Peoples' Assembly, known as Gellung Warl. The Gunnai and Gunditjmara man is one of 70 candidates competing in the state's first elections for the treaty body, which was established after Australia's first treaty between a state government and traditional owners was signed in November.
Thorpe, who is also a marathon runner and mental health advocate, is standing in the south-east region. He says he wants to 'step up and be a part of' the new era of politics, having been involved in activism and rallies in the background for years. The assembly will not have law-making powers but can question ministers and advise the government on proposals affecting First Nations people, as well as implement reforms on history curriculum, grants, dual-naming policies, and local treaties.
Victoria remains the only Australian jurisdiction to have progressed to a treaty, despite commitments elsewhere. New South Wales and the ACT are still in talks, while Tasmania abandoned the process last year. South Australia has legislated a voice to parliament and committed to treaty, but Queensland and the Northern Territory have dismantled their processes. The Victorian Liberal opposition has promised to scrap the treaty if elected in November, proposing instead a body called First Nations Victoria.
First Peoples' Assembly co-chair Ngarra Murray criticised the opposition's plan, saying it would return to a 'broken, business-as-usual model' where non-Aboriginal people think they know what's best. She argued that treaty puts decision-making in the hands of First Peoples, who are the experts in their own lives. The elections will see successful candidates form the new-look assembly, which aims to deliver practical solutions and improve lives for Aboriginal communities.
