“A new era of Treaty”: Sheena Watt reflects on 2025 and looks ahead to a pivotal 2026

For Victorian Northern Metropolitan MP Sheena Watt, 2025 will forever be defined by a single word: Treaty.

As the first Indigenous Australian woman to represent the Labor Party in the Victorian Parliament, the Yorta Yorta Upper House MP has been at the heart of one of the most transformative moments in the state’s history.

Speaking with Hyperlocal News, which publishes across the communities she represents – from the CBD, Carlton and Parkville to Kensington, Docklands and North & West Melbourne – Watt says the significance of the moment still feels overwhelming. “Oh gosh. Where do I start?” she said. 

“Treaty’s been a long time coming. It’s involved enormous efforts by First Nations people over many, many years, led now by the First Peoples’ Assembly. For me, it begins a new era where we acknowledge the truth of our state and work together in partnership, government and First Peoples.”

But for Watt, Treaty is far more than symbolic. It introduces practical mechanisms allowing First Peoples to directly influence parliamentary processes – initiating inquiries, questioning ministers and ensuring that government decisions genuinely consider their impact on Indigenous communities.

“It means we’ve established a mechanism where the representatives of First Peoples have a direct voice to Parliament on the issues affecting them,” she said.

It has taken a decade of Labor governments working alongside First Peoples to build the structures needed: the First Peoples’ Assembly to represent Traditional Owners; the Treaty Authority to guide conflict and keep negotiations on track; and the Yoorrook Justice Commission to ensure the truth of Victoria’s history is understood.

“We’ve never done a treaty anywhere in Australia before,” Watt said. “You put all that together and that’s not an easy landscape.”

When the Treaty was signed, Watt said she felt both pride and sorrow. “I was filled with a joy that’s almost indescribable, but also a great sorrow,” she said. 

I think about all the Elders over the years who worked for this. I think about why didn’t we do this when Victoria was first settled. But we got it done. I’m in the generation that will remember life before and after Treaty.

Above all, she thinks of the next generation.

“I’m enormously hopeful for the young people who will only ever know a Victoria with Treaty … Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal alike. They’re the ones that motivate me.”

Treaty wasn’t the only transformation shaping Watt’s year. As Melbourne prepares for the long-awaited opening of the Metro Tunnel, she said she felt “enormously excited” to see the project come to life after following its journey from the early construction years.

“These stations will fundamentally change the way people move around our city,” she said. “It will unlock extra capacity on the City Loop, and it’s turn-up-and-go travel – like global cities around the world.”

For precincts like Parkville and City Square – areas within Watt’s electorate that have endured years of construction disruption – the tunnel’s opening represents a genuine turning point.

“This is transformative stuff for Melbourne city,” she said. “I’m hoping thousands will come in this summer through the new stations and see what Melbourne has to offer.”

Reflecting on the year more broadly, Watt said some of her most meaningful moments came at the local level: the smiles of school captains proudly showing her new classrooms at Docklands Primary and Kensington Primary, and the small but important interactions helping families navigate day-to-day challenges.

“Sometimes you spend 10 or 15 minutes with someone and really change the trajectory of their family’s life,” she said. Whether helping parents secure Get Active vouchers so their kids can play netball or supporting seniors with bill disputes, Watt says those moments “uplift your spirit and remind you how special this role can be”.

Looking ahead to 2026 – an election year – Watt says her focus will be on helping communities understand the sweeping transport changes coming with the “Big Switch” on February 1, including new timetables across every bus, tram and train line.

She also plans to advocate strongly for the achievements of the Labor Government since 2014, from school upgrades to hospital investments and major infrastructure. But above all, she says protecting Treaty will be her guiding priority.

“The Opposition has committed to revoking Treaty in their first 100 days if they get in,” she said. “There’s so much on the line. I hope voters go to the polls fully understanding what’s at stake this election.”

As 2025 draws to a close, Sheena Watt stands at a defining moment – for herself, her community and the state she serves. And for her, Treaty remains not just the story of the year, but the foundation of Victoria’s future. •