Explainer for our friends and allies
Everything you need to know about the shared journey to Treaty in Victoria!
What is a Treaty?
Treaties are essentially agreements that set out the ground-rules for a relationship between different groups. They have often been used to help build peace and prosperity.
Here in Victoria, a process has been underway since 2016 to enable First Peoples and the Victorian Government to negotiate Treaties.
These Treaties will acknowledge the truth about what was done to Aboriginal people and improve the way things are done – by making sure Aboriginal communities always have the freedom and power to come up with and deliver practical solutions at a local level.
How does it work?
Traditional Owner Treaties across Victoria will make sure local knowledge can inform decision-making at a community level. Meanwhile a Statewide Treaty will strengthen the First Peoples’ Assembly so it can drive positive structural change to improve the lives of Aboriginal people.
Why is Victoria doing this?
People thrive when they can set their own course in life and can make choices about what works best for them and their families based on their own needs, experiences, talents and aspirations.
When it comes to Aboriginal communities, cultures and lands, the experts are of course Aboriginal people. The more this fact is respected and embraced, the more our communities will thrive.
It’s also important that Victoria as a state acknowledges and reckons with the truth of what was done to Aboriginal people so we can all get on with creating a better future together.
What will the outcome be?
With Aboriginal communities thriving thanks to the improvements that Treaty will deliver, everyone will be able to celebrate and benefit from the wisdom and knowledge that the oldest living culture in the world has to offer.
Whether your family has lived here for 5 years or 50,000 years, Treaty will ultimately help bring us all closer together.
What’s happened on the journey so far?
The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria (that’s us!) has been established to represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on the shared journey to Treaty. (If you’re mob and 16 years old or over, you can enrol with the Assembly to help choose the path forward.)
The Assembly is an independent and democratic body – it held elections in 2019 and 2023 and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Victoria have chosen 33 Traditional Owners to represent their communities.
The elected Assembly Members and the engagement team are constantly holding events and forums in every corner of the state to listen to ideas and aspirations for Treaty.
They’ve worked out a framework and process for Treaty negotiations to take place soon!
What does this framework involve?
For example, we have:
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.
Set up a formal ‘Truth-telling’ process to examine the impact of colonisation and help craft practical solutions to improving the lives of our people.
Reached agreement that there will be both a Statewide Treaty 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.
OK, so where are things currently at?
Traditional Owner Treaties across Victoria will make sure local knowledge can inform decision-making at a community level, but those negotiations will unfold over the coming years at different paces – it’s not a case of one-size-fits-all.
So at the moment, the Assembly is really focusing on the first Treaty – the Statewide Treaty – which will focus on strengthening the Assembly so it can drive positive structural change to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
We’ll be sitting down with the Victorian Government at the end of the year to start those negotiations, so we’re continuing to work with our communities to refine our negotiating brief that will guide those talks.
What’s the negotiating brief?
Building on many years of work and listening to mob across the state about the needs and hopes people have for Treaty, the Assembly is trying to distil all the ideas down to some key concepts and priorities we can take into the negotiations.
The ‘negotiation brief’ explains the principles that will guide the approach we’ll take in negotiations and confirms what we’ve heard is important to our communities and therefore what we want to deliver on.
The key principle, of course, is that when it comes to Aboriginal communities, Aboriginal people are the experts – so the more our communities are empowered to make the decisions that affect us, the better the outcomes will be.
What are some examples of specific things you will be asking for?
To make sure it’s First Peoples who are making the decision about First Peoples issues, we think an important first step is to beef up the role of the First Peoples’ Assembly so it can take on some of the responsibilities for delivering better outcomes for our people. That might range from how local knowledge is used to care for land or keep our cultures strong, right through to improving the way services like health and education are delivered.
We’re also looking for what specific things can be done straight away that will improve the lives of Aboriginal people. A list of ideas is still being worked on by the elected Assembly Members at the moment. (So again, if you’re mob, make sure you enrol with the Assembly and have your say!)
So what’s next?
The Assembly is still gathering ideas and feedback and will put the finishing touches on its Negotiating Brief at the next Assembly Meeting – to be held on Wamba Wemba Country up in Swan Hill.
Then negotiations with the Government are due to officially begin by the end of the year!
Throughout the negotiations the Assembly will keep Aboriginal communities up to date through newsletters, phone calls, and various public events and forums, and will be constantly seeking feedback and guidance.
A mass Treaty Gathering will be held at some point next year once we think we’re close to reaching the first agreement with the Government.
Once an agreement is reached, there will likely need to be legislation introduced to Parliament to help bring the agreement to life and make sure the Government keeps its promises – this will be a big moment and we’ll be calling on everyone’s help.
It’s important to note that Statewide Treaty is just the first step of a longer process. The focus will turn to Traditional Owner Treaties so that Aboriginal communities across Victoria can start making decisions at a local level and coming up with practical solutions to the issues that matter to them.
Wow, that was a long read, but it sounds great!
What can I do to help?
If you want to be an ally, thank you – the journey to Treaty needs to be led by First Peoples, but it’s a journey best taken together and as just 1% of the Victorian population, we appreciate your solidarity.
First of all, make sure you sign up to our newsletter so you can stay up-to-date on our progress and know about any calls to action.
And you can show your support with our ally-friendly Merch range of tees, stickers, beanies and more.
For the super keen, you can even make a contribution to our ‘fighting fund’ – every donation of $2 or more is tax deductible.
TREATY IS HAPPENING
The next 12 months on the journey to Treaty in Victoria are going to be super important. So thanks for taking an interest and showing your support!