Aboriginal Elders from across Victoria have been selected for an historic Elders’ Voice group to help guide the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria towards Treaty negotiations.
With gender and geographic representation, the 20 esteemed Elders were selected to become the Elders’ Voice Standing Group due to their experience, wisdom and standing in Community. They were selected following an open process that saw Elders put their hands up to join the history-making body.
After extensive consultations, and under the leadership of Elders’ Voice Co-chairs Aunty Esmerelda Bamblett and Uncle Rodney Carter, this group of respected Elders will provide wisdom and cultural authority on the journey to Treaty.
“From the very start of our journey to Treaty, Community made it clear that Elders are integral to who we are as Aboriginal people and that the Assembly needed to establish a mechanism whereby the voices of our Elders would guide the process” said Elders’ Voice Co-chair, Aunty Esme.
“Today, after the foundational work completed by our predecessors, Aunty Charmaine Clarke and Uncle Andrew Gardiner, we can proudly stand here and say that the Elders’ Voice has finally come to fruition.”
Fellow Elders’ Voice Co-Chair Uncle Rodney Carter said the group possessed an amazing breadth of collective experience.
“The scope of knowledge, wisdom and experience that’s captured by these 20 Elders is inspiring and humbling. We are so fortunate to have this opportunity, wherein the Assembly and our community will benefit immeasurably by the cultural knowledge of these Elders to enrich Treaty outcomes,” said Uncle Rodney.
The Assembly is the representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Victoria, comprised of 32 Members from across the state who were elected by their communities.
The Assembly will begin negotiating a Statewide Treaty with the Victorian Government later this year and is continuing to gather ideas and feedback from Aboriginal communities across the state. The Elders’ Voice Standing Group will provide cultural guidance to the elected Members during negotiations.
The Elders’ Voice Standing Group had their inaugural meeting on Monday 8 April.
Meet the Elders in the group here.
