The Victorian opposition has backflipped over its support for the state's treaty process

It follows a similar move in Queensland following the referendum, and has been met with disappointment by Victoria's treaty body.

The state's treaty process is about to enter the negotiation stage. Credit: Bertrand Tungandame

The cost of construction has been flagged as grounds for abandoning Victoria's treaty process with its First Nations people.

The opposition's Aboriginal Affairs spokesperson, Nationals leader Peter Walsh, said the Coalition would be rescinding its support for the process, marking a backflip from the parties' previous position.

Speaking to ABC radio on Monday morning, Mr Walsh said cultural heritage surveys are adding undue burdens to the cost of construction, and that Traditional Owner groups have a 'monopoly' over government legislation.

The First People's Assembly of Victoria, the body representing the state's Indigenous peoples during the treaty process, said the change in position was "disappointing".

“What will the announcement mean? Not much really,” it said in a statement.

“Of course, we would have liked to have kept Treaty above party politics and our door will remain open to politicians of all persuasions, but there is a clear path to Treaty ahead of us.”

Opposition leader John Pesutto on Monday refused to say when the coalition had reached its decision to rescind support.

“We felt that the time to make an announcement was now,” he told reporters.

Treaties are facing varying fortunes in jurisdictions across the continent.

Preceeding the Victorian opposition's move this week was a similar backflip last year from the Queensland Liberal Nation Party.

In the wake of the referendum's defeat, opposition leader David Crisafulli said pursuing treaty in the state would only "create more division", and said he would scrap the treaty body if elected to government.

Meanwhile in the Northern Territory, the Labor government last week belatedly signalled its intention to make good on a six-year-old promise to enact a treaty process.

Aboriginal Affairs minister Chancey Paech defended the lag.

"We did make the decision to slow down during the national referendum around the Voice to Parliament," Mr Paech said.

"As an outcome of that, we are now proceeding with the revival of the Treaty Working Group with the land councils and the community, around navigating and putting the pathway forward for treaty here in the Northern Territory."