First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria and Victorian Government members welcome the opening of Statewide Treaty negotiations, led by Assembly Co-Chairs Rueben Berg (left) and Ngarra Miller (centre), Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan (second from left) and Minister for Treaty and First Peoples Natalie Hutchins (second from right).
In an incredible and historic day grounded in the strength of First Peoples and momentum for change, Statewide Treaty negotiations have begun.
Traditional Owners from across the state gathered on Wurundjeri Country for the Treaty Commencement Ceremony, with a deadly display of dance, song and ceremony, connecting to community, culture, Ancestors and Country.
Treaty Authority Member Dr Petah Atkinson formally declared the negotiations between the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the State Government open at the ceremony on 21 November 2024.
Dr Atkinson said it was “a significant day for all Victorians.”
“Australia is one of the only Commonwealth countries without a treaty with its First Peoples,” Dr Atkinson said.
“Treaty will be a way to reset the relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.”
The key principle guiding the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria in Treaty negotiations is that decisions about Aboriginal communities, cultures and lands, should be made by Aboriginal people.
First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria Co-Chair Ngarra Murray acknowledged Elders past and present, whose leadership has guided the way.
She urged everyone who calls Victoria home to walk with First Peoples on the journey.
“Treaties are a bridge. Not just between us and the State, but between the past and the future,” Ngarra Murray said.
“Treaty must acknowledge the enduring impact of colonisation and restore the inherent rights of First Peoples.
“We need people to accept the truth about what was done to us and how the impacts are still felt today… By reckoning with the past together, we can move forward together.”
First Peoples’ Assembly Co-Chair Rueben Berg said Treaty would spark many opportunities for everyone who calls Victoria home to come closer together.
“We know that everyone understands that people thrive when they can set their own course in life, when we can make choices about what works best for us and our families,” Rueben Berg said.
“That’s why we want Treaty, to ensure Aboriginal communities will always have the freedom and power to come up with solutions at a local level.”
Welcoming the opening of Treaty negotiations as “an enormous step forward”, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan thanked all those who had bravely shared their truths with Yoorrook Justice Commission on the path to Treaty.
“Your words, while difficult to hear, were even harder to tell. They will form the basis of treaty going forward.”
Yoorrook Justice Commission was established in 2021 in recognition that there could be no treaty without truth.
Based on consultation with First Peoples across the state, Yoorrook is inquiring into historical and ongoing injustices against First Peoples in Victoria since colonisation.
The evidence and submissions it has heard from First Peoples right across the state will establish an official record of the impact of colonisation on First Peoples in Victoria, and inform recommendations for practical actions and reform, including through the Treaty process.
Welcoming the opening of Treaty negotiations, Yoorrook Justice Commission Chair Professor Eleanor Bourke AM highlighted the role of truth-telling on the path to Treaty.
“Truth and Treaty are complementary processes,” Chair Bourke said.
“The last three-and-a-half years of truth-telling has helped tell the full story of our shared history in Victoria. It has also shown how past injustices continue to harm First Peoples today.”
“Many of Yoorrook’s recommendations will be the subject of Treaty negotiations. This will create transformational change for our people and a better shared future.”
“We hope the Treaty process will help create real and lasting change for our people. When First Peoples thrive, everyone benefits.”
Photos: Leroy Miller
