The state of Victoria on Thursday signed into law Australia's first treaty with Aboriginal people and formalized as law.

Hailed by advocates as a significant step toward reconciliation, the accord gives Indigenous people more oversight on decisions that concern them.

What does the treaty entail and what has the reaction been?

The treaty, which will take effect on December 12, provides a formal apology to Australia's First Nations people and establishes a permanent representative group to offer advice to the Victorian government.

"Today marks a new chapter in the story of our state," Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said at a signing ceremony in Melbourne, the Victorian state capital.

"When people have a real say over the things that impact their lives, their healthcare, housing, education, and the practice of their culture, their outcomes are improved and our state is made fairer," she added.

What has been the recent situation for Indigenous groups in Australia?

While treaties with Indigenous groups are commonplace in countries colonized by the British, such as New Zealand and Canada, Australia has long lagged behind.

A national referendum in 2023 to enshrine an Indigenous advisory body in the constitution was rejected by 60% of voters, which supporters of the proposed body saw as a setback to reconciliation efforts.

Jill Gallagher, a member of the Gunditjmara people — an Aboriginal nation from southwestern Victoria — and former Commissioner of the Victorian Treaty Advancement Commission, played a pivotal role in treaty negotiations.

"This is the story of the Aboriginal people's resistance," she told the ABC public broadcaster.

The first human settlement of Australia is thought to have occurred 60,000 years ago.

British colonization of the continent began in 1788, which was followed by a major reduction of the Aboriginal population amid massacres and forced displacement, as well as the spread of diseases.

Australia's roughly one million Indigenous citizens track well below national averages on most socio-economic measures.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah