Northern Territory Government Scraps Aboriginal Treaty Process After 7 Years

The Country Liberal government says it wants to set up smaller community bodies to empower Indigenous local groups.

Members of the Mutitjulu Aboriginal community walk through the grounds in Mutitjulu, near Alice Springs, Australia, on July 6, 2007. Ian Waldie/Getty Images

The Northern Territory (NT) government has put a stop to its process towards setting up a formal Treaty with Indigenous communities.

NT Indigenous Affairs Minister Steve Edgington said the centre-right Country Liberal Party (CLP) had never backed the Treaty and this was known before the party won power last year.