Treaty Minister Natalie Hutchins to bow out

Treaty Minister Natalie Hutchins will retire from politics next year, the second senior minister to step down under the leadership of Premier Jacinta Allan.

Allan confirmed in a statement that Hutchins had decided not to contest the 2026 election. She will remain in cabinet until December 22, when her portfolios will be distributed to other ministers.

The decision comes as Victoria’s historic treaty legislation passed the lower house this afternoon.

Hutchins has twice overseen the agreement through different ministerial appointments, and was visibly emotional on Tuesday when the bill was introduced into parliament.

Allan said Hutchins’ work on a treaty had begun when she was a minister in 2014 and had toured Victoria hearing from Indigenous people who were calling for the state to work on an agreement with its First Peoples.

“Recently Natalie negotiated Australia’s first treaty with First Peoples and introduced the legislation to enact that into parliament,” the premier said.

“Passing legislation to deliver Australia’s first treaty with First Peoples is the perfect way for her to conclude a career focused on fighting for justice alongside First Peoples.”

Allan said Hutchins had always put equality at the centre of her work and was a champion for social justice.

“Born in public housing and having grown up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, she has always been a passionate advocate to create opportunities for others and has been a fierce voice for the diverse and growing communities she now represents,” she said.

“I offer my sincere thanks for her service to this government, and to all Victorians.”

Hutchins was first elected in 2010 and first appointed as a minister in 2014 after the election of the Andrews government.

She has served in a range of portfolios over the past decade and is currently minister for treaty, government services, women and prevention of family violence.

Hutchins is the fifth Labor MP this year to announce her retirement at the election.

Last month, Steve McGhie, Jordan Crugnale, Jackson Taylor and Emma Vulin all announced they would not contest the 2026 election.

The treaty legislation passed Victoria’s lower house with support from Labor and Greens MPs but was opposed by the Coalition. It will now proceed to the upper house, where it will debate in two weeks.

Opposition Leader Brad Battin has vowed to rescind the laws within 100 days of replace it with a separate department, First Nations Victoria, with its own standalone advisory body.

First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria Co-Chair Ngarra Murray said the vote was a big moment for her people.

“The principle at the heart of treaty is that Aboriginal people understand our communities best, and when we can use our local knowledge to come up with and deliver practical solutions, we get better outcomes. This is something we think everyone should be able to get behind,” she said.

Murray also thanked Hutchins for her efforts in the process.

“Minister Hutchins began this treaty journey with us ten years ago and in the coming months will have overseen the successful agreement of Australia’s first treaty,” she said.

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