The legacy of British invasion and dispossession legitimised the denial of Aboriginal sovereignty and Aboriginal rights to treaty negotiations over their property and lives resulting in catastrophic Indigenous disadvantage. The shocking facts of Indigenous disadvantage were made public through the NT Emergency Response - the Intervention, inflicting further humiliation and suffering upon Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians that time will hopefully erase through the collective efforts of all Australians and resources of the Australian Government. It is hoped that non-Indigenous Australians who realise the extent of Indigenous disadvantage will back our calls for a treaty to right past wrongs and change the Australian Constitution through a referendum of support to negotiate a renewed relationship commencing with mutual respect, cooperation, co-existence and responsibility. As an advocate for a treaty I firmly believe that a treaty is a legalistic issue that is possible to achieve. We have proved our sovereignty exists through our admission and decades of land rights and native title claims proving our pre-existence, connection to land and cultural identity, however, the courts have remained silent on this fact for fear of upsetting the bucket of law built on the denial of fundamental rights of Australia's first peoples. The greatest fears are firstly admitting there is a legal 'relationship' and secondly, resistance to 'characterise' the relationship. The relationship between Indigenous peoples and the State has historically remained ambiguous to enable the prevailing authority to execute laws and policies controlling Indigenous Australians. However, the juridicial denial of Aboriginal rights has not dampened the spirit of Indigenous Australians and we maintain our cultural fortitude and sovereignty despite the burdon of dispossession. The challenge for non-Indigenous Australia is to take the time to understand our cultural heritages, the issues, get involved and join Indigenous Australia to support Constitutional change for a treaty so we are able to direct the path for future in respect of the past and present for all Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. A treaty should be a joint starting point for a renewed relationship between Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. To do a treaty justice we to begin now with patience and care to construct a treaty in the spirit of our ancestors who fought and struggled against the worst injustices and violence inflicted upon our people. Much of the treaty debate has been written, reported, researched and analysed. My interest in a treaty stems from being Larrakia and respect for our forefathers who called for a treaty in the hope of telling the people of Australia, the Australian government and the world to act on the plight of Indigenous dispossession, sufferings, poverty, and also, inform of the existence of vibrant and diverse Aboriginal cultures, laws, customs and traditions . I pay respect to our forefathers who crafted the 1963 Yirrikala Bark Petition, the 1970s Larrakia treaty petitions, the 1988 Barunga Statement and more recently, on 23 July 2008 the Yirrikala Bark Petition was handed to Prime Minister Rudd by clan leaders including Mr Galarwuy Yunupingu. Slowly walking towards the Prime Minister, one of the clan leaders announced 'It simply symbolises the little ones, this is not for us. This is the beginning to the future of these little ones'. Donna Odegaard 18 May 2009 MA (Phil/Law), University of Newcastle NSW Title: 'Law and Aboriginal land Claims in Australia: Justice in Black and White' PhD submitted 2008, University of Newcastle NSW Title: 'The Larrakia Treaty Petitions: Australia's legal response to Aboriginal demands for a treaty'