Indigenous economic sovereignty in settler states: lessons for Australian jurisdictions from the United States, New Zealand and Victoria

Under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Australian governments are obliged to support Indigenous people's economic self-determination. More specifically, this article examines how Australian subnational jurisdictions can better enable Indigenous economic sovereignty: the development of independent Indigenous economies for nation-building. It presents a novel taxonomy of Indigenous economic self-determination to show how policies in the United States and New Zealand support Indigenous economic sovereignty to varying degrees, whereas policy in the State of Victoria, Australia (during the period prior to the ratification of Australia's first official treaty) did not. Comparative analysis reveals that treaties provide a foundation for nation-to-nation relationships, which can enable Indigenous economic sovereignty via the genuine transfer of economic authority. Australian jurisdictions can better support nations to exercise their economic sovereignty by prioritising statewide and local treaties that enable the development of independent Indigenous economies and strong institutions.