The New South Wales premier’s woman of the year says the state is “so far behind everyone else” on a treaty with First Nations people, suggesting a federal voice could lead to action despite a declaration by a Coalition minister that it is not on the agenda.
Lynda Edwards received the title on Thursday, when she was also named the NSW Aboriginal woman of the year by Dominic Perrottet for her work advocating for the financial rights of First Nations people and working to reform the financial sector to better serve them.
The state’s Aboriginal affairs minister, Ben Franklin, this week ruled out progressing a treaty in the next term of government if the Coalition wins the 25 March election, despite all other states having begun treaty processes or engaged in comprehensive land settlement deals.
The opposition has pledged that a Labor government will begin treaty discussions a fortnight after being elected, beginning with $5m for a year-long consultation with community after the federal voice referendum.
Edwards, who is Financial Counselling Australia’s coordinator for financial capability, told Guardian Australia she was supportive of the federal voice to parliament as a precursor to a meaningful treaty process.
“I’m all for the voice – it’ll be a really good opportunity and it’ll lead the way for treaty,” she said.
“We are so far behind everyone else.”
The Wangkumara and Barkandji woman said the start of a treaty process should include the creation of a statewide advisory group to make sure it was done properly.
“There’d be an opportunity for the state government to actually think about the development of First Nations businesses, putting First Nations people to the forefront in terms of land and environment and native title,” she said.
Reconciliation NSW, the NSW Aboriginal Land Council and Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council have also thrown their support behind treaty.
Asked on Thursday why the government would not progress a treaty like other states and territories were doing, Perrottet said closing the gap was a focus for all of his ministers.
“The outcome that we want to achieve is to close the gap and end the disadvantage of our First Nations people,” he said.
Edwards hopes to use her recognition to secure meetings with politicians both in Macquarie Street and in Canberra to push legal reforms that she believes will make a big difference to the financial positions of First Nations people.
“When I got that award, and I was standing next to the premier, I just turned to him and said ‘we need to chat’,” she said.
“I would hope that this title would actually get my foot in the door with politicians because it’s so difficult.”
She said the premier had been receptive to hearing about the structural financial challenges facing Aboriginal people and wanted to understand more.
Edwards has spent almost two decades working to improve financial outcomes for Indigenous Australians, including pushing reforms within big companies like Telstra and giving evidence at the banking royal commission.
She also wants to see financial literacy included as a Closing the Gap target.
“You need to have money to be able to send your kids to school, need to have money to be able to put them into sport, need to have money to put uniforms on their backs,” she said.
“How do we build that capacity in our society where money is just is a really new thing, particularly for remote communities?”
Edwards also wants to push the federal government to make changes to what the Australian Tax Office can tell relatives of deceased people about their superannuation funds in the case of out-of-date beneficiary details, which she said was a common issue.
