Mr Ravi de Costa

Research Fellow, Institute for Social Research Swinburne University of Technology

rdecosta@swin.edu.au

The British Columbia treaty process: some thoughts for Australian treaties

The enthusiasm in Australia for a treaty or treaties between indigenous people and the settler state suggests we should consider what international experiences there are to draw upon. Frequently mentioned is the British Columbia treaty process. This is a policy begun in the early 1990s, which sees the provincial and federal governments in tripartite negotiations with individual First Nations in British Columbia. After nearly eight years, the achievements of the process look meagre and its future looks bleak. This paper will critically examine that process, and offer some general conclusions that may be drawn for the Australian debate.

Ravi de Costa has recently submitted his PhD thesis which examined both reconciliation in Australia and the British Columbia treaty process as policies for building new relationships between indigenous and settler peoples. He is a social researcher and lecturer in politics at Swinburne University in Melbourne.