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 signifying that the Assembly is ready to enter Treaty negotiations with the State Government.
Assembly Co-chair, Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg, said it was a culmination of years of work from Victoria’s various Traditional Owner groups and Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander community to create a shared understanding and vision of how the journey to Treaty should unfold.
“We’re proud of the inclusive structures and ways of working that we have in place to ensure the collective hopes and aspirations in our communities are well represented and that the Assembly can be the strongest advocate possible for all mob in Victoria,” said Mr Berg.
The Treaty Negotiation Framework that the Assembly and Victorian Government agreed to in 2022 allows for Traditional Owners to form delegations to negotiate Treaties that reflect priorities and aspirations specific to their area, while the Assembly will negotiate a Statewide Treaty for big-picture structural reforms.
Under the Framework, all parties wanting to enter Treaty negotiations, including the Assembly and Government, are required to satisfy the Treaty Authority – the independent umpire in the process – that they are upholding certain standards.
It is this process that the Assembly’s declaration and notification documentation seeks to fulfil. The Treaty Authority will now consider the information and invite community members to provide comment.
Assembly Co-chair, Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung and Dhudhuroa woman Ngarra Murray, said the public comment phase would provide time for the Assembly’s elected Members to finalise the priorities for the negotiations.
“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 first Treaty in Australia,” said Ms Murray.
You can read more about the role of the Treaty Authority and the Assembly’s Declaration and more about the likely focus and priorities about the Statewide Treaty.
