I am a Gunnai man who was born and raised in Orbost, East Gippsland and a career that spans well over 30 years. I have a deep understanding and strong connection to my cultural identity and community. I will bring these many years of experience to assist with the development of a Treaty for Victoria and that the process is inclusive, engages via First Peoples to increase their awareness and understanding of what it means for individuals, families and the community.
For the past 30 plus years, I have worked to support Aboriginal people and communities by leading and shaping government policy and strategies that focus on addressing Aboriginal social and economic disadvantage. I will continue to lead and advocate for the removal of barriers that impact on Aboriginal people’s ability to achieve their goals and aspirations.
I am committed to improving the socio-economic health and wellbeing outcomes for First Peoples and to advocate for stronger recognition of mob who live in small and regional communities. I will work collaboratively to ensure we can develop a framework to advance a Treaty for First Peoples of Victoria.
Member Updates
March 2024 — Meeting of Assembly at Lakes Entrance
My name is Brian Stevens, a Gunai man who is your elected representative for the Southeast Region of Victoria. I am committed to fostering understanding and engagement in the Treaty process as well as advocating for change and the embedding of self-determination principles within various mainstream organisations that I work with across the region.
Over the past months, my focus has been on the following:
- Attending and contributing to discussions at First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria meetings,
- Raising awareness of the Treaty process and the role of the FPAV
- Educating community on the establishment and functions of the Self-Determination Fund including the Treaty Authority and Yoorrook.
Insights:
From my engagement activities, there is a hunger for knowledge and a genuine desire to actively participate in the Treaty process. The community has shared valuable insights, and a valuable one being the need to ensure that we listen to community and keep information simple and straightforward and not to overwhelm the mob.
Key takeaways:
- There is a need for a concentrated and strategic effort to uplift the community’s knowledge and understanding to ensure community members can effectively participate in the Treaty negotiations.
- Must use the language of the people
- Delivering information must consider the location and to be culturally safe to ensure mob can have their say
- Must listen and not be talked at – allowing time for members to digest information
- Members have expressed concern that the South East region doesn’t get the same attention as Metro and some other regional areas
Implementation:
These insights will inform ongoing work to continually uplift community knowledge and understanding. As the rep for SE Region, I will continue to engage with community members through targeted education and awareness raising initiatives that are currently in development via the Community Engagement Team.
I will continue to work with the other South East representatives to showcase a collective and collaborative process to community engagement to demonstrate that the FPAV is about inclusivity, acknowledging the diversity and strength of the First Peoples across the South East region of Victoria.
Looking ahead:
A strong focus for future activities will be to engage with the ACCOs across the South East, community leaders and Elders and other interested community groups. The strategy will also target families, small focus groups and if applicable, online sessions for community to ask questions and gain more detailed information particularly for those who may not be able to attend during work hours.
Closing Comments:
In conclusion, I want to express my sincere appreciation to members of our community for their enthusiastic engagement and education to this significant journey. Together, we are establishing the groundwork for a future founded on inclusion, respect, self-determination, and collective prosperity. I eagerly anticipate our ongoing collaboration as we work together to build a legacy that future generations will proudly inherit.
