We have been able to make some important decisions, but there is still a lot of work to do.
We need to keep yarning about the details that Community would like to see. What are the structural reforms that will improve the next generations’ lives? Do we want dedicated seats in the Victorian Parliament that Aboriginal people vote for, do we want our own Parliament for our people? Maybe we want both. Nothing is off the table, so let’s go for it!
I wanted to bring my knowledge and understanding of how government works to make sure that our communities can get the best possible outcomes from the Treaty process.
Member Updates
March 2024 — Meeting of Assembly at Lakes Entrance
Ngata, my name is Rueben Berg and I am a proud Gunditjmara man, and the Reserved Seat holder for Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation.
I am also very grateful to have been chosen by the Assembly as one of their Co-Chairs, alongside Ngarra Murray. In my role of Co-Chair I have been involved in many forums, discussions, interviews and conversations to raise awareness and understanding about Treaty, and to find out what our communities’ aspirations are for Treaty.
In my role as the EMAC representative, I have attended EMAC Full Group Meetings and community events, run dedicated EMAC Zoom Treaty Information sessions, spent time in the Warrnambool EMAC office, and sent out regular email updates to interested Eastern Maar community members. I was particularly moved at being able to attend the recent Ancestral Reburial ceremony in Warrnambool where our community’s strength, unity, compassion and deep desire to practice and celebrate our culture was made very clear.
I am very excited to have been able to work with Eastern Maar to establish the EMAC Treaty Working Group. The Working Group will:
- provide a chance for mob to share ideas, have their say and help make sure the Treaty journey creates great outcomes for Eastern Maar community
- provide ideas and advice on Treaty readiness for Eastern Maar, including preparing for Treaty Negotiations
- advise EMAC as their corporation on what activities should be applied for under the Self Determination funding package to advance Treaty work and phases
Through this Working Group I am excited to see how the Eastern Maar community might choose to build on our previous successes in agreement making with government, through both our Native Title and Registered Aboriginal Party recognition. Traditional Owner Treaties offers us an opportunity to enhance our rights regarding land and waters, and to seek a transfer of decision making power from various government entities, including State Government departments, Parks Victoria, Local Councils, Catchment Management Authorities and Water Authorities.
While we continue our own discussions about Traditional Owner Treaties, the Assembly will continue its work in pursuing Statewide Treaties. A key focus for me in this term of the Assembly is how we can reach agreement with the government to see the Assembly evolve into a body that can:
- transfer decision making powers from the government to First Peoples
- provide direct advice to government, the Premier, Cabinet, Ministers, on issues that affect First Peoples
- provide a formal mechanism to keep the government accountable on delivering on the commitments and agreement it already has, and will continue to have, regarding First Peoples.
From the discussions I have had with the Eastern Maar community, there is a great keenness to see this happen, and I look forward to continuing to have discussions with the Eastern Maar community to determine the exact details of how we might want to implement those features of the evolved Assembly.
I encourage all Eastern Maar community members to reach out to me if you have any questions, comments, thoughts or concerns about either the Statewide Treaty process, or Traditional Owner Treaties. There is great strength in numbers in this Treaty journey, and the more community who join us on this journey, the stronger our outcomes will be. Wurruk
