Thanks to our three keynote speakers this morning and to all the deadly speakers over the week and all the participants and guests. There have been some great sessions and conversations, and the Assembly has been proud to partner with AIATSIS. I want to shout out to all the staff and organisers and the Assembly’s own, Alister Thorpe, one of our elected Members who has been very involved.
Coming together like this is so important. It’s a chance to share experiences, trade tips, and listen and learn from each other. Similar gatherings have taken place across these lands for generations. It’s part of who we are. Bringing mob together has been a big focus of the First Peoples Assembly over the past few years. We’ve put on about a thousand events – from small local yarning circles to flagship events like the Treaty Day Out concerts.
In April, we held our Statewide Gathering down in Geelong. Our Members were keen for us to take a Corroboree approach of bringing the clans together for discussions and celebrations of our cultures. And we’re holding smaller versions now in each of our regions across Victoria as we work to put the finishing touches on our negotiation brief in the coming months. The formation of the Assembly is a strong and optimistic example of self-determination in action. We’re not just striving for it – we’re living it. A coming together of our mobs, to have the yarns, to do the work, to find the common ground and shared aspirations, and to go for it – to push with a united voice and with the backing of the collective strength of our communities.
As you’ve hopefully heard a few times in the various talks from Assembly Members, we’ve created a framework for Treaty negotiations to take place in Victoria that will work at two levels:
- It will empower Traditional Owners to negotiate Treaties at a local level as they see fit.
- The Assembly will negotiate a Statewide Treaty to tackle the statewide structural reforms.
At the heart of it all is recognition that when it comes to First Peoples’ matters, the experts are of course First Peoples. This is why our focus is wresting back from Government our own freedom and power to make the decisions about our communities, our cultures, and our Country. We know ourselves better than anyone else does. Everyone wants the ability to set their course in life, to get ahead and look after their loved ones. But, by and large, this is what has been denied to our people since invasion. We’ve been actively excluded from enjoying the economic benefits generated by our lands.
Yes, we’ve made progress. As my fellow Assembly Co-chair, Ngarra Murray, highlighted on Monday, our community has a long and proud history of asserting our rights and we’ve slowly but surely made progress. I believe Treaty will be a paradigm shift. We won’t just be making piecemeal progress about particular decisions, laws, and policies. Instead, we’ll secure the freedom and power to make the decisions, laws, and policies ourselves. This is what we’re striving for and finally we’re in the box seat to get it done.
The other point Ngarra made that I really want to reiterate is: we’re at our strongest together. I want to stress that if, after hearing these various talks from Assembly Members, you still have any questions, or any niggling doubts or concerns – or likewise burning hot ideas you want to share – please reach out to us after this event. Let us have a yarn, let us get you the info you need. Because I want to have those conversations now. Before we reveal to the government our negotiating hand, I want to go into those negotiations as confident as I can be – knowing that we’ve done the hard yards over the last five years to have all the tough conversations to make sure all our mobs are on the same page.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m feeling extremely optimistic! This time next year when the AIATSIS conference rolls around again, I want to be here giving a talk about the first Treaty signed. I want to be talking about all the stuff that’s being implemented. I want to be talking about how we’ve agreed on a process and timetable for transferring decision-making power from Government to beefed up and expanded First Peoples’ Assembly.
An Assembly that has the freedom and power to make the decisions about matters that specifically relate to First Peoples. An Assembly that has an expansive role in providing advice to various arms of government and the public service. An Assembly with strong scrutiny and oversight powers that can hold governments accountable and to best-practice standards. An Assembly that can represent all First Peoples and Nations in Victoria, and can celebrate and share our cultures and languages with everyone that now calls Victoria home.
In time, there won’t be a Government Minister for Aboriginal Affairs because Aboriginal affairs will be handled by Aboriginal people. Our communities will have the power and tools to develop and deliver practical solutions at a local level.
Thank you and enjoy the rest of the conference.
This speech was given at the 2024 AIATSIS Summit. To read Co-Chair Ngarra Murray’s speech, click here.
