The Northern Territory Attorney-General Chansey Paech has urged the country and its leaders to move past last year's defeated referendum and look towards forging treaties with Indigenous people, arguing "the time for sorry business is over".

The Eastern Arrernte and Gurindji man was speaking in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) as the NT government resumed the treaty process, holding its annual Indigenous Leadership and Governance forum on Thursday ahead of a one-day treaty symposium on Friday, and then another one in Darwin, scheduled for Monday.

"To all other Australian jurisdictions and the commonwealth, don't be afraid," Minister Paech said.

"This is the time to be fearless and do what's right.

"I am committed to progressing a treaty between the NT Government and Aboriginal Territorians. It will at its heart acknowledge our history and outline a future where Aboriginal people are rightfully enshrined as equals and the original custodians of this land."

In 2018, frustrated by a lack of federal progress, then Chief Minister Michael Gunner took matters into his own hands and re-signed the Barunga statement - more than 35 years after it was first handed to Bob Hawke in Arnhem Land, and which requests a treaty between government and First Nations people - and committed to treaty talks.

The NT's treaty commission recommended the four land councils be consulted on a draft Indigenous self-governance bill as a prelude to treaties in 2022.

However, later that year, the government paused this in order to not confuse people with the overlapping discussions of treaty and the Voice referendum.

On Friday, he reasserted what treaty would bring, arguing Indigenous control would ultimately help close the gap.

"Aboriginal people have been very clear about what will break this cycle of trauma and disadvantage and bring strength to communities – and that is being able to determine their own path, on their own terms," Minister Paech said.

"This is at the heart of treaty-making and why it is so critically important to the future of the NT. Stronger communities will lead to a stronger Territory."

Minister Paech, who is also the deputy Chief Minister, said it was now time to move past the "unfortunate" referendum result and look at the treaty and truth telling aspect of the Uluru statement from the heart – Makarrata.

"We have seen two hundred and fifty years of policies that have been designed and implemented to disadvantage, dehumanise, and displace Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," he said.

"The Uluru statement is not finished. The referendum was one aspect of three pillars, and we owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our communities, we owe it to our ancestors to absolutely keep pushing to have the recognition and to have … a greater say and impact on issues that affect us."

Minister Paech said treaty was not something to fear, despite the "merchants of doom and gloom," arguing he had seen the "positive life changing impacts treaties can have on a nation" around the world.

"[A] treaty will not destroy the Australian way of life; rather it would empower and further develop us as a nation," he said.

"It would allow communities and nations to truly see the return of self-determination and truly see our people advance socially and economically."

Minister Paech said political leaders needed to move past their political nervousness on treaties, he said more needed to embrace what was best for First Nations people.

"We absolutely have to be fearless on this because this is an opportunity to change the landscape and empower people," he said.

"So, I think people need to get over their concern for their own political careers and do what's right."

The Labor government has committed to treaty, now a point of difference with the opposition going into the NT election later this year.

Last year, the CLP said they would not support Labor's push for a treaty, instead arguing their priorities would be "on providing local government reform and leadership back into (remote) communities".

This mirrors the opposition to treaties by federal CLP Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

During the referendum, the Land Councils in the NT widely supported the constitutional amendment whilst simultaneously criticising Senator Price for her rhetoric around colonisation.

Minister Paech said he acknowledged treaty discussions had "not progressed" at the rate many would have liked - pointing to the focus on the referendum - but said one thing was certain – "the bush voted Yes".

"All across the Federal seat of Lingiari, Bush Mob voted overwhelmingly Yes to having more of a say in their lives and communities," he said.

"And that is why we are progressing with a treaty. We don't need the rest of the country's permission to do what we need to do."