The Northern Territory Opposition says it will sideline Treaty talks if it wins government and instead commit to a major shake-up on major shake-up of remote Aboriginal community councils.
In the aftermath of the referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which resulted in a resounding No vote, the Country Liberal Party (CLP) said they would not support a treaty being implemented in the NT.
"We reject Labor's move towards Treaty," the CLP said in a statement.
A memorandum of understanding by the Labor government of NT in 2018 to work towards a treaty, something that would end if the CLP came into power at the next election.
Currently, Victoria is the most advanced nationally with its Treaty negotiations.
Queensland and NSW have expressed political concern around Treaty negotiations in wake of the referendum result, which has been pounced about by the Liberal Party opposition in both states.
South Australia is opting for a state-based Voice whilst Western Australia has not committed to a formal treaty process, despite the Noongar Settlement being widely considered as the first Treaty in the country.
On Tuesday, the ABC reported that NT Shadow Treasurer Bill Yan said Treaty was not the focus of the CLP, saying they are "going to be on providing local government reform and leadership back into (remote) communities".
"That's what our focus will be, not on treaty," he said.
What that looks like and how it will be funded remains unclear.
There is no information if the reforms will include scrapping the 'super shire' council bodies, created by Labor in 2008.
This saw the amalgamation of 70 small, local councils into eight shires. Mr Yan argues this has led to a "leadership vacuum out in those communities".
Then Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda, said the reaction towards the creation of the individual 'super shire' has been more visceral than the intervention.
Former Labor government minister Elliot McAdams said he supported the CLP's reform around shires but said they would be wrong to abandon the Treaty process.
"The CLP would be silly not to at least go down that path because they are not going to get anything in the bush by rejecting a treaty outright," he said.
"They might win a few seats in Darwin, but they're not going to provide the basic improvements to quality of life that people in the bush are calling for."
The CLP have backed federal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price in opposing any Treaty or voice discussions.
Mr Yan criticised the government for ignoring regional areas.
"This confusion, coupled with limited funding, a lack of transparency, and inadequate community engagement, has prevented the potential benefits of the framework from making meaningful change," he said.
Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Steve Edgington, said an investigation in Land Councils was needed.
"Investigations into the role of regional councils and the integration of community councils into the local government structure are overdue, and must not become mere exercises in bureaucratic process," he said.
"The time for empty rhetoric and half-hearted commitments has long passed."
During the Voice Referendum, Land Councils in the NT widely supported the constitutional amendment whilst simultaneously criticising Senator Price for her rhetoric around colonisation.
