Cirrus@Austlit

'I was a young teenager when Yothu Yindi released their single ‘Treaty’.6 I remember listening to it and feeling proud that it was a song performed by an Aboriginal band. I remember hearing it on the radio and watching the film clip. I don’t remember thinking too much about what the song was actually referring to. I don’t remember turning my mind to what exactly ‘treaty’ was or what it meant for Aboriginal people. Nowadays it seems ‘treaty’ is on the lips of Aboriginal people for a reason totally apart from musical appreciation or popular culture. In recent times the notion of a treaty has emerged as the centrepiece of the Indigenous rights agenda. Treaty is a major talking point of current Indigenous rights political discussion and the focus of academic deliberation. How would a treaty work? Would it be a treaty or treaties? What is the constitutional framework under which a treaty would be implemented? Is it the most effective way forward for Indigenous Peoples? Treaty is so much a part of the current Indigenous affairs agenda that the peak Indigenous representative body, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) has highlighted ‘treaty’ as a major priority in the advancement of the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Geoff Clark, the current chairman of ATSIC has said “I make no apology for placing the pursuit of a treaty at the top of my political agenda.”7 With the convening by ATSIC of treaty workshops around the country for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to discuss treaty issues, Mr Clark’s sentiment can hardly be ignored. Undoubtedly it would seem, ‘treaty’ is the catch cry of future debate surrounding the Indigenous rights campaign.' (Introduction)