At a ceremony today on Wurundjeri Country in Melbourne, the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the Victorian Government officially started the negotiation of the first Statewide Treaty.
Assembly Co-chair, Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung and Dhudhuroa woman Ngarra Murray, said the historic event would herald an end to over 200 years of government policy causing more harm than good to Aboriginal people in Victoria.
“When it comes to Aboriginal communities, cultures and languages, the experts are Aboriginal people. Through this shared journey to Treaty, we’ll be looking to make sure Aboriginal communities can use local knowledge to come up with practical solutions at a local level,” said Ms Murray.
Assembly Co-chair, Gunditjmara man, Rueben Berg, said the guiding principle the Assembly will take into negotiations is that decisions about Aboriginal matters, should be made by Aboriginal people.
“Whether it’s caring for land and keeping culture strong or improving the way services like health and education are delivered at a local level, we want to negotiate a Treaty that will empower Aboriginal communities for generations to come,” said Mr Berg.
The Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan, said the past can’t be changed, but accepting the truth of Victoria’s history will mean things can be done differently in the future.
“Laws and policies work best when the people affected by them have a say in how they work. Treaty will mean First Peoples have the power to come up with and deliver practical solutions for their communities at a local level,” said Ms Allan.
Since 2019 the democratically elected Members of the Assembly have been talking with their communities in every corner of Victoria to hear the hopes, needs and aspirations about how Treaty should be negotiated and what it should deliver.
The upcoming negotiations will focus on the first Statewide Treaty which is expected to expand the roles and responsibilities of the Assembly so that local knowledge can always inform decision-making when it comes to Aboriginal communities, cultures, languages and land.
“We know people thrive when they can set their own course in life. When they can make choices about what works best for them and their families. Self-determination is about recognising that Aboriginal people are the experts when it comes to Aboriginal communities. It’s the right thing to do and it’s also just common sense if you want better outcomes at a local level in things like health, education, caring for country and so on,” said Mr Berg.
In addition to the Statewide Treaties to be negotiated by the Assembly, the various Traditional Owner groups across Victoria will be able to negotiate Treaties that reflect the priorities and aspirations in their local area.
Ms Murray said the entire journey to Treaty has been community-led and was embracing Aboriginal culture and lore.
“Treaty is from the ground up, the action is very much at a community level and doing things our way. What you are seeing is decolonisation in action. Our people have been striving for this for generations, and now here we are, empowering our communities through the very first Treaty. It’s deadly,” said Ms Murray.
You can also read the Assembly Co-chairs Ngarra Murray’s speech and Reuben Berg’s speech.
Background details
The Victorian Treaty process began in 2016 with the establishment of the Aboriginal Treaty Working Group followed by the appointment in 2018 of Jill Gallagher AO as the Victorian Treaty Advancement Commissioner.
In 2019 and then again in 2023, the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria held elections – so Aboriginal communities across the state could choose the people who would represent them in negotiations.
The democratically elected Members during the Assembly’s first term were tasked with talking with their communities in every corner of Victoria to hear the hopes, needs and aspirations about how Treaty should be negotiated. Whereas the Assembly’s second term has concentrated on asking communities what Treaty should deliver.
With Community’s guidance, the Assembly established a number of building blocks to make sure Treaty can happen fairly and in a way that is grounded in Aboriginal culture, Lore and law.
For example, the Assembly:
- Created a Self-Determination Fund to help Traditional Owners prepare for their Treaty negotiations at a local level.
- Established the Treaty Authority to serve as the independent umpire to oversee the negotiation process and help navigate any related disputes.
- Called for the creation of the Yoorrook Truth-telling process to examine the impact of colonisation and help craft practical solutions to improve the lives of our people.
- Reached agreement that there will be both Statewide Treaties negotiated by the Assembly to drive ‘big picture’ reform and Traditional Owner Treaties that will reflect the priorities and aspirations of the relevant local areas.
More details about the Statewide Treaty can be found here: https://www.firstpeoplesvic.org/treaty-explainer/
