Family First Upper House candidates Bernie Finn and Jane Foreman today announced that if elected, Family First will introduce legislation to repeal the treaty bill introduced by Victorian Labor.
This pledge comes after Liberal Leader Brad Battin last night refused to commit to repealing the treaty should the Liberals win government.
Asked twice by Sky News host Peta Credlin if he would repeal the bill, Battin squibbed.
"Whether Labor or Liberal wins next year's election, Victorians will be saddled with a treaty and a voice they did not want," Mr Finn said.
"In 2023, Australians voted overwhelmingly against Anthony Albanese's Voice. Yet Labor in Victoria, with the tacit support of the Liberals, will impose it through the back door."
The bill, introduced this week, forces Victorian children as young as four to be taught the state's history using the Yoorrook Justice Commission's "Truth be Told" report. Part one of the report begins with the words: "We walk on stolen land… The scars of colonial invasion, its massacres, violence and relentless erasure are not confined to the past. They reside in the present."
Ms Foreman said parents were under enough pressure without having to be worried about even more ideological indoctrination being foisted on their children.
"Our youngest students will be taught a distorted, one-sided view of Australian history. No parent should accept a curriculum that paints Australia as nothing but a crime scene," Ms Foreman said.
"Of course we should teach children about Aboriginal history and culture, but this must be balanced and truthful, not designed to instil guilt and shame in the next generation."
The treaty also establishes a new state-wide "voice" body with legislative backing to dictate who can and cannot claim Aboriginal identity, and to co-design the school curriculum with government authorities.
"This is a radical social experiment Victorians never voted for," Mr Finn said. "They actually voted against being divided by race."
"Premier Jacinta Allan is determined to embed division into our schools and our laws. Brad Battin has shown he won't undo this damage. Only Family First is committed to repealing Labor's treaty and restoring fairness and unity."
Family First said it will always support genuine reconciliation built on truth and fairness, but it will never endorse rewriting history to divide Victorians or embedding identity politics in classrooms.
"Family First will stand up for parents, for children, and for unity," Ms Foreman said. "If elected, we will move swiftly to repeal this bill."
