Reserving space in the city: Critically approaching urban treaty-making in Australia and Canada

Over the last decade, reconciliation has become increasingly prominent in the mainstream consciousness of Canadians and Australians alike. In Canada, the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report famously articulated that ‘we are all treaty people.’ How do treaties affect the reconciliation process? In Australia, no historical treaties were ever made with Indigenous peoples. Now, after almost 200 years of settler occupation of Indigenous land in Australia, discussions are underway for the creation of the nation’s first treaty. And so, what would a treaty look like in Australia in the spirit of this so-called reconciliation? With this in mind, this project is both a case study and a call to action. As the issues inherent to the treaty process in Canada are well-documented, this project seeks to learn from Canada’s repeated and continued failures to live up to its treaty promises with Indigenous peoples. By conducting a close reading of the 2015 Federal Court of Appeal decision, Canada v. Long Plain First Nation, this project seeks to tangibly apply these findings and offer insights to Australia’s current treaty-making process. Australia has the opportunity to learn from Canada’s mistakes, and this project seeks to do just that.

Faculty Supervisor:

Damien Lee

Student:

Partner:

The University of Melbourne

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

Toronto Metropolitan University

Program: