My name is Ngarra Murray and I’m a proud Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung and Dhudhuroa woman. I’m Co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and represent the Metropolitan region.

Our journey towards equality and justice is deeply rooted in a long history of Aboriginal activism here in Victoria where our people over generations have collectively advocated, lobbied, marched and protested for our rights. We have a strong culture of leadership in our mobs, and when we say we stand on the shoulders of giants, we mean it. And we are very proud of that fact.

Despite the adversities, our people have remained resilient, our cultures vibrant, and our communities strong. It is time to acknowledge this resilience and strength through formal and binding agreements – treaties that honour our past, respects our present and secures our future.

In November, we will enter treaty negotiations. This will be a historic first for this Country, and we would not be here today without the decades of staunch Aboriginal activism that has led us to this point. Achieving a treaty is not an easy task, it will require commitment, collaboration and courage from all of us.

It has been one year since our Assembly election, and I want to acknowledge the collective effort from all our Assembly members. We have achieved a lot in that time:

• Our Youth Voice and our Elders’ Voice are up and running
• The Self Determination Fund is open, and funds are now available to help Traditional Owners get ready for Treaty and negotiation on equal footing with government
• The Treaty Authority was established
• The Wamba Wemba people joined the Assembly on a Reserved Seat – this was the first group to utilise our alternative pathway process
• We hosted a Statewide Treaty gathering and multiple Regional Treaty gatherings across the state
• We co-convened the 2024 AIATSIS Summit
• We appointed Gunditjmara man Damein Bell as our new CEO
• We have declared that we are ready to enter Treaty negotiations, and the Treaty Authority have accepted our notification

Over the past few months, I’ve been able to participate in the following public facing key events proactively promoting the Assembly and its work:

• Panel for Richard Bell’s Embassy as part of Rising Festival
• 2024 AIATSIS Summit delivering opening address and keynote address on ‘Standing on the shoulders of giants: The Treaty generation in Victoria’
• NAIDOC March speech
• Dungala Kaiela Oration response to DFAT First Nations Ambassador

Our Metro Treaty Gathering was held at the Aborigines Advancement League on Wurundjeri Woi wurrung Country, and we saw mob from all across Naarm learn and share about their aspirations on the journey to Treaty. The Gathering included yarns, presentations and breakout groups. We heard about the journey that got us to this point, what sovereignty might mean to us going forward. We had detailed conversations about the nuts and bolts of the Treaty process and Self-determination. Most importantly, Naarm mob got to share their ideas and have a say about the priorities the Assembly is thinking of taking into the upcoming negotiations with the Victorian Government about a Statewide Treaty.

Engagement happened with parliamentarians and key government representatives. As Co-Chairs, we maintained regular communication with Assembly Members and fostered relationships with the Yoorrook Justice Commissioners, Treaty Authority, Self-Determination Fund and other bodies relevant to treaties. There were numerous engagements with First Peoples, Traditional Owners, Statewide ACCOs and Peaks, community groups and constituents.

We appeared at the Yoorrook Justice Commission and provided evidence for their social justice hearings. The hearings focused on systemic injustice experienced by First Peoples in Victoria in relation to health, education, housing and economic life.

We held our Assembly chamber on Gunditjmara Country in Portland. We were honoured to be welcomed to Country by Gunditjmara Elders, who shared stories with our members and staff. We also spent an incredibly special day learning and hearing about First Peoples’ practice in action at Budj Bim.

This meeting saw the first appearance of Wamba Wemba Aboriginal Corporation Reserved Seat holder, Lowana Moore. This is a significant milestone, marking the first addition to the Assembly through the Additional Pathway for Reserved Seats.

The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria has taken one of the final steps required to enable Treaty negotiations in Victoria, declaring to the independent Treaty Authority that it is ready to enter Treaty negotiations.

The Assembly’s notification seeking to be the First Peoples’ Representative Body to negotiate Treaty was entered onto the Treaty Authority’s Negotiation Database and a copy of the Declaration was presented to the Treaty Authority at a ceremony at Melbourne Museum signifying that the Assembly is ready to enter Treaty negotiations with the State Government.

We’re still gathering ideas and feedback from our communities, but we now have key concepts we’ll likely take into the first round of treaty negotiations:

• We’ll be looking to agree on a process and timetable for providing the Assembly with decision-making powers about Aboriginal matters. That way, it will be mob making decisions about mob
• We’ll want to expand the Assembly’s role and responsibilities, so that in addition to the new decision-making powers we’d be seeking, it could also provide advice
  to government on a range of First Peoples matters, and ensure accountability for promises made and standards set • We will seek to find ways to ensure First Peoples culture and languages, the lifeblood of our identity, is recognised and respected
• And we’ll be looking at how key recommendation from the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s truth telling process should be implemented

If you’ve got ideas or feedback, we want to hear from you! Get enrolled, get in touch, have your say.

We have been preparing for treaties for a long time and will continue to gather feedback and input from our communities throughout the process. We are a diverse mob here in Victoria made up of many nations and clans and we want to make sure everyone is heard.

It’s an exciting time for First Peoples in Victoria, we’ll be sitting down to negotiate the very first Treaty in Australia.

My name is Ngarra Murray and I’m a proud Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung and Dhudhuroa woman with many connections across Victoria and NSW. I’m Co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and represent the Metropolitan region.

Treaty is an opportunity to secure better representation and political power for Aboriginal people. Both the statewide Treaty and Traditional Owner Treaties can include changes to current systems and structures of government to give First Peoples a greater say and control over matters that affect Aboriginal people. We’ve got some big decisions to make before sitting down with government later this year and the Assembly will continue to bring our communities together so we can keep yarning and decide what priorities the Assembly should focus on during the first round of negotiations.

Nothing is off the table, so we want everyone to think big and we need to keep hearing your ideas. Some of the priorities for the first talks with government are likely to include Representation – how we can make the Assembly a permanent representative body for First Peoples and what shape, powers, and scope should it have? Decision Making Powers – agreeing on a process and timetable for transferring power from government to community and Transforming Systems – crucial recommendations from the Yoorrook Justice Commission and implementation.

Reflecting on the achievements of the Assembly over the last few months, we have been busy engaging with our communities, building collective support, continuing to strengthen representative and governance structures, and preparing for treaties. Before negotiations can start, the Assembly and Government need to demonstrate they meet the minimum standards as per the Treaty negotiation Framework and notify the Treaty Authority.

As Co-chair alongside Rueben Berg, we are responsible for chairing Council meetings and quarterly Assembly Chamber meetings. I’ve attended the Assembly’s Yurpa Committee, Treaty Committee, SDF Committee as a Member. To help manage the Assembly’s forward-looking work, the Members have set up five workstreams to concentrate on; Future Assembly and Transformed Relationship, Government Accountability, Economic Empowerment, Strengthening culture, communities and families, and Inherent Rights.

Over the past few months, I’ve been able to attend and present at the Statewide Treaty Gathering (Waddawurrung), Common Threads Sumit (Gimuy), AIATSIS Summit 2024 (Naarm), Aboriginal Justice Forum, Essendon Football Club, City of Yarra, City of Melbourne Oration, Roads to Reconciliation: Activating Multicultural Communities, Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service, and Treaty community gathering at Dardi Munwurro.

I’ve participated in many community engagements including meetings with the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Yorta Yorta Elders Council, Yoorrook Commissioners, Treaty Authority Members, Kaiela Institute, VACL, Bangerang Aboriginal Corporation, VACSAL Basketball Carnival Shepparton, Taiwanese Delegation, Tla’amin Nation, Maori Delegation, and Allies for Uluru.

Along with Rueben, I was fortunate to represent the Assembly and appear at the Yoorrook Justice Commission giving evidence for the Land Injustice and Social Injustice hearings.

In the coming months, we will attend the June Assembly chamber on Gunditjmara Country and host a Naarm (Metropolitan) Treaty Gathering at the Aborigines Advancement League. I’m looking forward to seeing all the mob at the gathering.

Our next CEO Damein Bell has been appointed. Damein is a fantastic appointment for the Assembly, and I congratulate Damein on stepping into this role at such a critical point in our journey towards Treaty.

Together we’ll get Treaty done. If you’ve got ideas or feedback, we want to hear from you! Get enrolled, get in touch, and have your say.

My name is Ngarra Murray and I’m a proud Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dhudhuroa, and Dja Dja Wurrung woman with many familial connections across Victoria and NSW. I’m the Co-Chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria living and working on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country representing the diverse Aboriginal Communities of the Metropolitan region for a second term. It’s an incredible responsibility and honour to be elected to the Assembly alongside 31 other deadly Members who represent all the regions of Victoria as we work towards Treaties. 

The Assembly is more than just an organisation; it is a testament to the strength and resilience of our people, a diverse tapestry of leaders, trailblazers, activists, and advocates who have tirelessly fought for justice, equal rights, and the recognition of our connection to Country. We stand on the shoulders of those who raised their fists and marched for a better life, equal opportunities, and a brighter future for our children and communities.

Our purpose is clear – to reclaim our people’s power and freedom, ensuring decisions affecting our communities, culture, and Country are in our hands. In this collective journey towards Treaty, we are confident that it will strengthen the common bonds uniting us all.

Treaty is more than a destination; it’s a journey that will deepen connections to the land and each other. Envision a future where rights, dignity, and sovereignty are respected for all, creating a healed and healthy country where every individual plays a part and bears responsibility.

Reflecting on the achievements of the last term, we laid the foundation for Treaty-making, establishing ground rules, an independent Treaty umpire, and a Self-Determination Fund, a monumental feat thanks to the commitment of members and support of our communities. The diversity within this Assembly mirrors the richness of our communities, and through Treaty, we are poised to return decision-making power to Aboriginal hands, delivering better outcomes through respect, equality, and shared responsibilities.

As the elected Co-Chair, my role is to elevate the voices and priorities of Community members on the journey to Treaties. I’m committed to building collective support, meeting with Traditional Owner groups, local communities, and organisations and ‘talking Treaty’ to foster nation-building and consensus-building throughout my term.

As Co-Chair alongside Rueben Berg, we are responsible for chairing the bi-monthly Council meeting and quarterly Chamber meetings. In my role as Metro Member, I’ve been able to:

• Attend community forums and yarning circles at Bubup Wilam Aboriginal Child and Family Centre in Thomastown
• Attend the Koorie Academy Basketball Clinic at the State Basketball Centre
• Visit Gunditjmara country including Winda Mara, Tae Rak, Gundijt Mirring
• Recently visited Barendji Gadjin and Wotjobaluk
• Attend Wamba Wemba full group meeting
• Attend community gatherings and yarning circles at Dardi Munwurro
• Engage with Yorta Yorta community including attending Now and Forever Concert
• Attend a Treaty Community Event at the Aborigines Advancement League

I am also a member of the Yurpa Committee, Treaty Committee, SDF Committee, Yoorrook Committee, Statewide Gathering Working Group, and the Minimum Standards Working Group.

In the coming months, we will have attended our fifth Assembly chamber on Gunai Kurnai Country, activated the Elders’ Voice, hosted a Treaty Day Out and a Statewide Treaty Gathering. I’ll be working with the engagement team to organise a Treaty yarning circle at Dardi Munwurro and other opportunities to yarn with community over the next few months. We’ll be sitting down with Government to start having the conversations about our priorities and what we want Treaty to include – what changes we need it to deliver for our communities. For it to be as strong as possible we need to hear your voices so we welcome your ideas and will be guided by your needs. Let’s engage in open conversations, listening and talking together.