Concerns have been raised about the quietness of the Queensland Government’s First Nations treaty process. 

The state’s Path to Treaty Bill is meant to further reconciliation between First Nations people and the government, but it is causing concern among traditional owners, who say key voices have been excluded from the process. 

The government's Community Support and Services Committee (CSSC) has held public forums in nine regional Queensland locations this month to gather feedback on the bill. 

However, the low attendance has left some community members baffled, with many saying they were not aware the meetings were happening. 

Elders have questioned the government's commitment to Treaty, with concerns that the CSSC is going to miss a lot of feedback from Indigenous people.

The CSSC parliamentary forum has visited Cairns, Weipa, Thursday Island, Palm Island, Townsville, Longreach, Woorabinda, and Rockhampton, and a 10th session will be held at Inala in Brisbane on April 17. 

However, respected Wangkangurru and Yarluyandi Elder Don Rowlands, who lives on the edge of the Munga-Thirri Simpson Desert in outback Queensland, said he would have liked to attend the Longreach forum but was not invited. 

Mr Rowlands suggested the government use technology such as Zoom to allow more people to be involved.
The state government said it notified the community about the forum via a media release and said those who could not attend a forum should contact the committee directly about their concerns.

The Path to Treaty has three parts: the establishment of a First Nations Treaty Institute, a council to govern the institute, and holding a truth-telling and healing inquiry. 

An independent group, the Interim Truth and Treaty Body (ITTB), has been tasked with designing how the institute and inquiry will work, and is hosting its own public consultation forums. 

Just Fifteen people attended their recent meeting in Rockhampton, a major regional centre of 80,000 people around 650 kilometres north of Brisbane. Some attendees said they only found out about the ITTB meeting the night before.

In a statement, the Interim Truth and Treaty Body says it contacted some organisations directly ahead of the forums, but largely used email and social media to share details of the event. 

One of the 10 ITTB board members, Aaron Fa'Aoso, has told reporters that it is important the treaty-making process is community-led.

“There's a lot of scepticism because of broken promises, previous legislations, policies, acts,” Mr Fa'Aso said.

“We're charged with giving that information and taking our people in communities on this treaty-making journey which will not be without its challenges, and it's something that we are very aware of as well.”

More details on upcoming forums can be obtained from the CSSC and the ITTB.