I am a proud Yorta Yorta and Narrandjeri woman and mother of two young boys. I want to be part of creating a future where all our children grow up connected to culture and community, our strengths are celebrated, and our people are thriving.
I was raised by my mother who was a compassionate leader in the community. I was also lucky to have other strong figures in my life who have served as continual inspiration during the many swerves, peaks and lows in my journey thus far. The base of culture, connection and hope they provided meant that I have always sought to use my voice and skills to create the future I want not just for me but for our communities.
As CEO of VALS, I’ve worked to amplify our communities’ voices on important law reforms. The best part of the work is being with the community in forums, yarns and our disaster relief work. We established new services for Aboriginal children and our people who have been mistreated by police and prisons because the community wanted this help.
I will ensure that Treaty works for each of our communities and that all our children can grow up strong and proud.
Member Updates
January 2025 — Meeting of Assembly at Naarm
Member update not submitted.
November 2024 — Meeting of Assembly at Shepparton
I am a Yorta Yorta and Narrandjeri woman who was elected as a member of the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria and as Treaty Co-Convenor in July 2023. I am also the CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and my work history involves legal practice, law reform and policy. I have also served on the boards of several organisations including Elizabeth Morgan House, Bupup Wilam, and the Australia Community Support Organisation.
Over the last few months my priorities within the FPAV Assembly have been:
- Engaging with community and developing positions, ideas and models to support their aspirations;
- Fulfilling my role as Treaty Co-Convenor;
- Fulfilling my Council responsibilities to oversee the processes, activities and relationships of the Assembly alongside fellow Council Members to ensure as a whole the Assembly is effectively and properly run;
- Fulfilling my responsibilities as an Additional Negotiator; and
- Contributing to fruitful discussions within the Yoorrook Committee
Community Engagement
Assembly Members have been engaging in a range of forums to discuss community aspirations for treaty now and into the future. This is the most rewarding part of our roles as it ensures we not only have clear mandate from community about what should be in Statewide Treaty but also provides us with the strength and determination we need to continue to walk this difficult path. I have also been privileged to be able to engage in a number of engagement activities across both Metropolitan and Regional Victoria whether it be informal yarning sessions, working groups, caucus, expert panels and forums. Whilst the narrative of close the gap versus treaty has died down the concern that government won’t honour its commitments remains strong. This fear was no doubt reinforced by the disappointing response from the Victorian Government to Yoorrooks Interim Report on Child Protection and Criminal Justice. It’s clear that community want the Victorian. Government to have a bigger appetite for transformative change and to truly honour the self determination of our peoples.
In discussions about Treaty priorities we have heard consistently that we need decision making powers about First Peoples matters, we need to be able to hold Government to its promised and make sure they are delivering for First Nations communities, we need to harness our knowledge, skills and training, we need to be able to keep telling our truth and sharing our stores with all Victorians in and out of educational settings, we need to put cultural into the heart of Victoria’s democracy, we need better resourcing and improved approaches to evaluation.
In discussion about practical outcomes, we have heard consistently from communities that they want to see supports in place for education and jobs, language used in schools, place marked and dual naming they want to explore options for creating prosperity now and future generation that are based on the sustainable use of our land skies and waters, they want to see Aboriginal families provided with safe and secure housing, we want to see our Elders supported to age with dignity and respect, we want to ensure appropriate access to resourcing to ensure community have access to a full range of health services where they live, we need to embed cultural hubs and learning institutes for our youth and to develop alternative approaches to youth justice and child protection. There has been repeated calls to ensure that we embed better ways to keep our communities safe that focus on prevention, early intervention and healing.
In hearing the repeated calls for transformation of the justice and child protection systems I have brought this into my work at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and developed three pieces of work:
- Justice Treaty
- In order to honour the calls for an Aboriginal led justice system VALS has developed a “Justice Treaty” Project. This project will enable us to develop a model that sets a new foundation to transform the legal system, including through progressive transfer of power, resources, data and control to allow for Aboriginal Justice models.
- VALS sees a Justice Treaty as representing transformative change, with the devolution of power to community, to ACCOs and look forward to the first workshop on 29 November 2024.
- Decarceration Model For Youth Justice
- A working group has been established in partnership between VALS, Djaara and the Koorie Youth Council. The group includes ACCOs, mainstream health and wellbeing providers, and government representatives. The establishment of the working group aligns with the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s Yoorrook for Justice Report, which reflects community calls for a self-determined legal system and resonates with the broader Aboriginal community’s calls for change including Aboriginal young people through the work of the Koorie Youth Council.
- The Working Group is working to develop a decaceration model that focuses on healing, rehabilitation, connection to Country, and supporting reintegration into society. The model will also provide therapeutic interventions, support, and diversions for Aboriginal children and young people who are involved in, or at risk of involvement in, the youth justice system.
- Alternative to Child Protection for Aboriginal Families
- VALS, in partnership with Djirra together with other parts of the legal assistance sector, Aboriginal community representatives and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations (ACCOs) that work with Aboriginal children, families and communities are determined to take up Yoorrook’s challenge: an Aboriginal-led child protection system, and standalone legislation, that is negotiated by The First Peoples’ Assembly as part of the historic Treaty process legislated by the Victorian Government.
- We have formed a joint working group and are working collectively and collaboratively together thinking through and developing positions on what a self-determined child protection model could and should look like. We have developed agreed principles and key elements and stages for response and will continue towards developing a model. This has been and will continue to be an iterative process that will hopefully inform the Treaty process.
These pieces of work have been essential in providing an avenue to think about longer term self-determined approaches to systems and institutions that have caused irreparable harm to our communities for generations. I am excited to be able to bring in this type of think into the Assembly and can only hope that these community designed initiatives can be a part of our Treaty pathway.
Treaty Committee
The Treaty Committee was established in 2021 to support Chamber to make decisions in relation to Treaty and the Self Determination Fund. In July 2023 I alongside Michael Bell was appointed as a Treaty Co-Convenor. The work of the Treaty Committee has been guided by its responsibilities to:
- making recommendations to the Chamber in relation to Treaty, the Self-Determination Fund and other matters coming within the definition of ‘Core Matters’ in clause 65.1 of the Constitution
- appointing Assembly Members to assist the Assembly Co-Chairs in Treaty negotiations
- facilitating attendance and the offering of advice and support to a First Peoples Treaty Delegation under the Treaty Negotiation Framework
- making decisions under delegation from the Chamber as necessary
Given these responsibilities the Treaty Committee has delivered the following pieces of work for consideration by Chamber in the last quarter:
- Notification to the Treaty Authority
- Negotiation Strategy
- Negotiation Brief
- Process to Appoint Negotiators
- Consideration of a Peace Accord
- Process to support review of Bills and Legislation
- Resources and Tools to support Collective Support
Notification to the Treaty Authority
Prior to the last Chamber the Treaty Committee had approved providing the Notification to the treaty Authority that the Assembly sought to be entered on the Negotiation Databased as the Body to negotiate Statewide Treaty. Following on from this the Treaty Co-Convenors, Michael Bell and myself, asked Assembly Members to approve the Declaration of the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria. We ensured that this Declaration was reflective of feedback received from our Assembly Members and our Elder’s Voice.
Negotiation Strategy
The Treaty Committee has worked in conjunction with operations and our Co-Chairs to develop the negotiation strategy for the first Statewide Treaty. The Negotiation Strategy sets out a flexible and principles-driven approach to negotiations for Statewide Treaty. It is a strategy that is reflective not only of the aspirations we have now and for generation to come but is reflective of the future the generations passed have been building the pathway too.
Negotiation Brief
The Treaty Committee has been working diligently over the last quarter to develop the Negotiation Brief for Chambers consideration. The Negotiation Brief outlines the objectives, key proposals and background information for the negotiation of the first Statewide Treaty with the State. It also sets parameters that guide the Assembly’s negotiators in the negotiations and reporting back to Members, and in assessing if what has been negotiated is acceptable.
Process to Appoint Negotiators
The Treaty Committee developed a proposed process to appoint negotiators to support the Co-Chairs as Lead Negotiators to negotiate Treaty. The Treaty Committee considered the key elements of the appointment process and developed a working group to develop to steer the expression of interest process and appoint a selection panel.
Negotiation Protocols
The Advancing the Treaty Process with Aboriginal Victorians Act 2018 (Vic) (Treaty Act) provides that Treaty Negotiations must be conducted in accordance with the Treaty Negotiation Framework (Framework). The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, as the First Peoples’ Representative Body, and the State of Victoria are the Primary Negotiating Parties in relation to a Statewide Treaty under Part C of the Framework.
In order to support negotiations, the Treaty Committee developed draft Negotiation Protocols under clause 26.1 of the Framework for the Chamber to consider that recognise that Treaty-making is an expression of First Peoples’ sovereignty and therefore Negotiations must uphold and respect Aboriginal Lore, Law and Cultural Authority. The practical purposes of the Protocols is to:
- Outline a mutually agreed set of rules, procedures, principles that the Parties have collectively defined and committed to follow.
- Ensure Negotiations are conducted in a manner that acknowledges and respects First Peoples cultural ways of doing business, is productive, and conducted in a mutually respectful manner, consistent with the Guiding Principles.
- Promote compliance with the Negotiation Standards, and for the State, the Additional Negotiation Standards.
The Negotiation Protocols are an important part of the Assembly being ready to sit at the Treaty table with the Victorian Government. I would also like to acknowledge the substantive work of the Yurpa Committee in developing the cultural protocols that ensure that our ways of being, knowing and doing are at the centre.
Peace Accord
The Treaty Committee has considered whether the Assembly should progress a peace accord as part of Statewide Treaty negotiations. The idea of a peace accord between the Assembly and the State has been discussed by the Treaty Committee a number of times over the course of the year.
Legislation and Bill Review Working Group
In the September Chamber Assembly Members discussed the need to develop a function that could consider existing legislation that affects Aboriginal Communities as well as future Bills. Following on from Chamber I was able to work with a number of Assembly Members to develop a term of reference for the proposed Committee. The terms of reference were considered by Council and referred to Treaty Committee to incorporate into their 2025 Workplan which will be considered on 29 November 2024.
Next Steps
In order to ensure that the Treaty Committee continues to fulfil its role and responsibilities in 2025 we expect to have our 2025 work program settled on or by 29 November 2024 which will be centred on supporting Treaty Negotiations, ensuring there is a path to Collective Support and equipping community, the sector and FPAV with the knowledge, advice, tools and resources it needs to implement Treaty outcomes
First Peoples Assembly of Victoria Council
The Council plays a strategic role to ensure coordination and information sharing across the Assembly’s structures and process. This requires Council to set the strategic directions of the Assembly and directing the work of the various committees and sub-committees. Council’s role includes the following functions:
- Preforming core corporate responsibilities
- Ensuring coordination and information sharing across the Assembly’s governance structures and processes
- Providing direction and guidance to Assembly operations
Much of the focus in the last quarter has been about strengthening Assembly operations, ensuring appropriate checks and balances are in place, supporting Assembly Members and ensuring the Assembly is Treaty ready.
Appointment as an Additional Negotiator
On 9 September 2024, I responded to the Expression of Interest to be appointed as an Additional Negotiator for Statewide Treaty as I believe that I have a demonstrated ability to apply the skills and capabilities outlined in the draft Negotiations Strategy due to my educational and professional expertise. I was deeply honoured to subsequently be appointed as an Additional Negotiator and hope that I can ensure that the collective voice and might of our community is at the Treaty table. Since then, it has been a whirlwind of training sessions, reflections and team building to ensure we are equipped with the tools and resources we need.
September 2024 — Meeting of Assembly at Swan Hill
Member update not submitted.
June 2024 — Meeting of Assembly at Portland
Member update not submitted.
March 2024 — Meeting of Assembly at Lakes Entrance
I am a Yorta Yorta and Narrandjeri woman who was elected as a Member of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and as Treaty Co-Convenor in July 2023. I am also the CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and my work history involves legal practice, law reform and policy. I have also served on the boards of several organisations including Elizabeth Morgan House, Bupup Wilam, and the Australia Community Support Organisation.
Over the last few months my priorities within the Assembly have been:
- Fulfilling my role as Treaty Co-Convenor to ensure we address the following:
- The formal recognition of an Aboriginal representative decision-making body (Future Assembly) that has the following functions:
- decision-making powers
- advisory functions
- accountability and oversight responsibilities.
- Implementation of the key recommendations from Yoorrook Justice Commission including:
- transformation of the child protection system
- transformation of the criminal justice system
- establishing an accountability and oversight mechanism.
- Ensuring we are measuring our progress against Minimum Standards
- Looking at options for us to engage with the internal human rights regime
- Developing a process for us to start developing negotiation positions across five domains that are in line with our priorities of the year but most importantly leverage off the vast knowledge and expertise within our communities, organisations and allies.
- The formal recognition of an Aboriginal representative decision-making body (Future Assembly) that has the following functions:
- Fulfilling my Council responsibilities to oversee the processes, activities and relationships of the Assembly alongside fellow Council Members to ensure as a whole the Assembly is effectively and properly run.
- Contributing to fruitful discussions within the Yoorrook Committee and Yurpa Committee
The most rewarding part of my role as both an Assembly Member and Treaty Co-Convenor has been the ability to engage in a variety of engagement activities across Metropolitan Melbourne and Regional Victoria. I have also been privileged to be able to engage in a number of mainstream engagement activities from speeches to just plain old yarning sessions on what Treaty is, what it can offer Aboriginal Victorians and ensuring people understand that it isn’t a choice between Treaty and Close the Gap but that it’s both – Treaty is the pathway to closing the gaps for good. In engagements within Aboriginal Communities the messages have been consistent – there is fear that the Opposition’s refusal to participate in Treaty is not only premature but also destructive to the Treaty process, we need to do more to ensure that the State responds to the urgent recommendations put forth in its interim report as these matters cannot wait. We need to start working with communities to develop our negotiation positions, we need to support communities through the self-determination fund so they can be supported to be Treaty ready as Traditional Owner groups are, we need to ensure that there are adequate protections for our human rights; embedding accountability and oversight is incredibly important in any Treaty, and lastly, Treaty is our way of honouring our ancestors’ fight for justice and ensuring our future generations are not merely surviving but soaring amongst the stars.
Part of my engagement activities have included visiting our various prisons within Victoria. This has not been easy as you feel as though you have very little to offer when our mob inside have so much to offer us in terms of insights, solutions but also resilience. In these spaces we have consistently heard that not only is Treaty embraced but that they see it as a path to achieving abolition and ensuring that the cycle of incarceration can be broken with Aboriginal-led solutions that are well resourced and are not about doing the bare minimum but are about changing lives and creating supported pathways to success for mob. We have also heard continuing concerns about the lack of appropriate healthcare and mental health support, lack of support to achieve parole and a lack of adequate housing and transition supports. I look forward to continuing these engagements over 2024 and having meaningful discussions on what their views are on a range of subject matter to inform our negotiations with the State.
I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to advocate and support Aboriginal Victorians as we journey towards a Treaty. This role has been far from easy but what has made it special is the passion, ingenuity and deep cultural knowledge that has been so willing shared by Victorian Aboriginal Communities. This path will not be easy and there will be times we don’t agree and times we do – I hope that during this we can maintain the ability to have open and honest conversations.