Treaty Negotiation Framework

Oct 21, 2022

The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the Victorian Government have reached a landmark agreement on a framework that will enable Traditional Owners of Country to negotiate Treaties across the state, and for the Assembly – as the democratic voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria – to negotiate a state-wide Treaty to deliver structural reform.

The Treaty Negotiation Framework sets out the principles that will guide Treaty-making in Victoria and provides Traditional Owner groups with the ability to choose their own pathways and timelines for negotiating Treaties that reflect their particular priorities and aspirations.

It explains the criteria and standards that groups need to meet if they want to enter Treaty negotiations and how they can be supported – with resourcing from the Self-Determination Fund and guidance from the Treaty Authority – to enter negotiations on more equal footing with the Government.

To embed First Peoples’ culture in the Treaty Negotiation Framework, we asked Keerray Woorroong (Gunditjmara) and Yorta Yorta woman, Sherry Johnstone to create an artwork that represents the Treaty Process for First Peoples in Victoria. Learn more about the artwork