Brief:

Australia is unique for being the only Commonwealth nation that does not hold a treaty with its first peoples. In 2016, a new Government entered office in the state of Victoria and asked the Aboriginal community what they wanted – the answer was Treaty.

Despite being a process worked out between the state government and Aboriginal peoples (not a public vote) a Treaty requires public support to be accepted.

Our brief was to build support for the treaty process among the non-Aboriginal community.

Budget:

Total budget including creative production and media was $450k (AUS)

Solution:

Deadly Questions. You ask. Aboriginal Victorians answer.

Deadly Questions is a platform that connects everyday Australians with everyday Aboriginal Victorians, building open dialogue around the topics Australians have avoided for countless years.

The provocative questions related to a range of topics: such as ‘is being Aboriginal just the colour of your skin?’ or ‘why can’t Aboriginal people get over the past?’, and were responded to by either filmed and written responses.

Insight and Results:

Research showed that 84% of non-Aboriginal Victorians believed it was important to learn more about Aboriginal culture.

However, the problem is didn’t know where to begin for fear of saying the wrong thing.

We wanted to tap into that tension point – and that drove our open-forum of ‘questions’ approach.

This campaign helped drive a national conversation, change attitudes towards the positive, and in late June 2018, the Victorian government passed a historic law to create a Treaty framework.

Proof of Eligibility:

Deadly Questions launched on June 4th 2018. The website and all supporting paid media plus PR initiatives launched on this date.

The paid media component included large format outdoor (static and digital) across Victoria, paid social placements across Facebook and Instagram, YouTube pre-rolls and regional press.

PR initiatives included an event launch and the delivery of interview content and social posts from Aboriginal influencers to help media outlets reference Aboriginal spokespeople.

The intended audience was the Victorian Government (to influence legislation for Australia’s First Treaty) and non-Aboriginal Victorians (who lacked knowledge about Aboriginal affairs and who’s support would be needed for Treaty to be successful).