My name is Troy McDonald, and I’m fortunate to be nominated as the reserved seat holder on behalf of the Guna Kurnai Land and Wates Aboriginal Corporation, this is my second term as a Member of the First Peoples Assembly Victoria where I was elected on to the Board on 19 December 2019 and again in July 2023.

Over the past few months, I have been heavily involved in internal activities intended to shape inclusiveness in my role as an Assessor for additional reserved seats. This work has been a complex and detailed process designed to ensure that a transparent and unbiased evaluation, whilst respecting for confidentiality with raged to the applicant. As a part of the Reserved seat process, I support the team’s ethical conduct which assisted in building a positive, inclusive, and accountable assessment outcome that leveraged of facts and evidence. The outcome of this work should be realised in the March 2024 Chamber meeting.

I am also leading work as the Convener of the Self-Determination Fund Assembly Committee. The fund has taken a fair bit of sustained effort in order to stand up a Trustee Structure which ensures that we have mechanism of oversight to protect the community assets entrusted with us. A couple of key deliverables were, review of funding guidelines, memorandum of understanding and recruitment of a SDF chief Executive Officer. The SDF structure leverages off a robust but separated relationship with Trustees and the SDF committee – this work will continue over this term of the FPAV for the next three years.

I am also heavily involved in key strategic actions associated with the Treaty committee. The purpose of this committee is to support decisions in relation to Treaty making and the Self-Determination Fund. One of the key deliverables of my role is to support the co-conveners in shaping the work around minimum standards, support the development of a Strategic Engagement Plan and the stand up of Treaty committee work streams that focus on the following:

• Economic Empowerment
• Inherent Rights
• Accountability and oversight
• Strengthening Culture, communities, and family
• Future Assembly and Transformed relationships.

It is anticipated that these committees will be activated around April 2024.

As the year unfolds there are two types of engagement that I have undertaken, these are defined as Strategic Engagement & Community Engagement. I have provided Treaty insights to the One Gippsland Forum which is a peak organisation platform that seeks to have a coordinated voice across the social and economic space across Gippsland. As an invitee to this forum my role was to provide an overview of work to date as well as seeking strategic allies for the Victorian Treaty process. As a reserved seat holder and Chairperson of GLaWAC this was a critical touch point for the promotion of the FPAV and the agenda we are pursuing across the state.

I have also met with The Gippsland Regional Partnership Forum (GRPF) which is a consultative body that engages with its community throughout the year. The Gippsland Regional Partnership is one of nine Partnerships across the state, established by the Victorian Government, recognising that local communities are in the best position to understand the challenges and opportunities faced by their region. Why is engagement with these groups important? Through the Treaty process local treaties will be on the table across regions, as such it is imperative that these groups understand and educate that there may be some involvement through platforms such as the GRPF to engage with a localised Treaty process.

Since November 2023 up to March 2024 I have worked with other South East Assembly Members conducting engagement across Lakes Entrance, Morwell, Warragul, and Ramahyuck. Some of the key learnings are that people are genuinely interested in Treaty and what it could mean for them. Many participants have indicated that they feel heard when they raise issues. That said, the social complexities around housing and social justice are a constant amplification for system change and some of these issues were also part of the feedback I received in my recent visit to Fulham prison. To summarise key insights:

• More information on Self-Determination Fund
• How will the Treaty Authority work?
• How do you define what is in scope for a local Treaty?
• What is UNDRIP and does FPAV provide information and knowledge sharing regarding this topic?

The insights gained ought to be able to inform broad decision-making based upon consultative feedback from constituents. The learnings ought to inform FPAV policy development and how we build our community engagement in the journey to Treaty. This process needs to be underpinned by trust and inclusiveness that supports a roborative opportunity for all First Peoples to participate in.

From March 2024 we are hopeful that FPAV will meet the threshold as the Aboriginal Representative Body to negotiate Statewide Treaty, we are hopeful that we will have a position/s as to what these negotiation points are in the second half of 2024. Assembly South East Members will be required to share points for feedback across the remainder of 2024, furthermore FPAV know that we need to mobilise as many of our people as possible so that we can continue to build a mandate and support for Treaty here in Victoria.

I would like to express my gratitude to all people that have supported me in this important role, I would also like to give a shout out to those community members that activate their voice in this process. I am always available for a conversation and encourage any and all to contact me if they would like a catch-up. Thanks Troy.