Australia is the only Commonwealth country without a Treaty with Indigenous Peoples. With Treaty negotiations underway in Victoria, we have a unique opportunity to achieve collective and long-held aspirations for First Nations futures, redress past and ongoing injustices against First Nations Peoples, and progress towards Treaties across the country. Despite this, there are growing threats ...
Common Threads
Together For Treaty

GOAL
$230,000
Target Population
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- General population

Common Threads is a new First Nations led organisation, working to grow and harness the power of First Nations leadership, advocacy and changemaking to win transformative change. We are forging a new pathway to build Indigenous power and drive systemic change that centres the aspirations of our people - for Country, for community and for our rights.
For generations, our communities have fought tirelessly across many fronts. It’s because of the decades of protest, activism and advocacy led by our Elders and young people that huge momentum for change has been growing.
When we reflect on the past and how hard we’ve fought, whilst looking at how far yet we have to go, we must set sights on the aspirations of our communities and shift the goal posts of what’s possible.
No matter how hard we fall, we get back up and the fight continues - for land back, treaties and justice.
It’s time to come together, across our movements and campaigns, and build power together, now and into the future.
Common Threads is a project of Passing the Message Stick, led by a steering committee of Dr Jackie Huggins AM, Larissa Baldwin-Roberts and Millie Telford.
Project Summary
Australia is the only Commonwealth country without a Treaty with Indigenous Peoples. With Treaty negotiations underway in Victoria, we have a unique opportunity to achieve collective and long-held aspirations for First Nations futures, redress past and ongoing injustices against First Nations Peoples, and progress towards Treaties across the country.
Despite this, there are growing threats to undermine support for the Treaty. This opposition is well funded and uses the dissemination of mis/disinformation very effectively. We need to counter these forces with greater education, increased awareness, and solidarity building that readies the political climate for a public campaign in support of Treaty-making processes.
What’s it going to take?
– A long-term national campaign led by First Nations peoples to build public support and political action on truth and Treaty.
– Organising mob and allies to be having conversations in their communities about what Treaty means.
– Storytelling, media and visibility tactics: educate and build support
– Creating the conditions for political action – supporting Treaty is vote-positive or at least there’s no incentive to repeal.
– Victoria as a catalyst and inspiration for other states & territories.
What we need to win:
– Investing in a core team with strong community relationships, messaging and campaign expertise to coordinate the work.
– Messaging research and regular polling to keep a pulse on public sentiment, ensure out stories are cutting through and respond to our opponents.
– Digital infrastructure and list-building to mobilise mob and allies at scale across the country.
– Ability to connect First Nations people digitally and in-person to share strategy & lessons and build capacity as campaign leaders
– Preparation for any potential Victorian election campaign.
Project Outcomes
What's at stake?
- Victoria will largely determine what will happen across the rest of the country.
- There is a lot at stake, not just what Treaty and truth-telling can deliver through structural change and wealth transfer, but how governments will approach
- Back to back political losses this large would change the terms of all Indigenous rights based organisations
- This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $230,000
FUNDING
Funding source | Amount |
---|---|
Funding Gap | $230,000 |
EXPENSES
Expense item | Amount |
---|---|
Campaign establishment and set up | $230,000 |
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