The Tasmanian Government has committed to a time frame for truth-telling and treaty talks with its Indigenous community.

Premier Peter Gutwein has appointed former governor Kate Warner and law professor Tim McCormack to lead talks with the state's Aboriginal community.
“This will be … a sincere engagement whereby we want to work with the Tasmanian Aboriginal people,” Mr Gutwein said at a press conference this week. 

“I think it's an important body of work and one that will be provided back to me as a report later this year, which I will then table in Parliament.”

Michael Mansell from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre welcomed the announcement.

“The Premier has said; ‘Let's get something before the Parliament in three months’ … I like that. Let's get on with it,” Mr Mansell said.

Meetings are expected to occur with Aboriginal people in Hobart, Launceston, Burnie, Cape Barren and Flinders islands to discuss what a treaty might look like.

The Government says it will also look at the return of land.

“Whether it's areas of the forest or whether its water rights or particular parts of the ocean, marine reserves, Indigenous protected areas - all these things are going to have to be taken into account with this treaty,” Mr Dillon said.

The Premier appears amenable. 

“In terms of land returns … I would make the point it was the Liberal Party that was the first government in this state to proceed with land returns and we've always had an open mind to further land returns,” Mr Gutwein said.

Mr Dillon said one of the most difficult aspects of any treaty or greater recognition would be the challenge in education. 

“I see some old people - and I'd probably call them rednecks, they'd just call themselves run of the mill people - but they've never been told the truth,” he said.

“They believe what they were told at school, so I don't blame them for their manner or way of thinking … it's just they've never been told the truth.

“I think that's one of the biggest problems we have — is that teachers are still not teaching the truth of the history of this country … [We need to be] getting all teachers up to a national or state standard so they can tell the truth.

“That truth is very important and needs to be told.”