Negotiations for Victoria's first statewide Treaty are well advanced, with the Allan Labor Government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria entering the final stages of drafting an agreement.
The Victorian Government will introduce the Statewide Treaty Bill to Parliament once negotiations are finalised.
Topics in this round of negotiations included:
- The development of a First Peoples Institute focused on developing leadership capabilities
- How to equip the Victorian public sector to understand Treaty
- Facilitating the sharing and trading of existing water entitlements between First Peoples
- Place naming of specified geographic features, with more consideration of First Peoples traditional place names
Treaty is a pathway to acknowledging the past and making real, practical change to achieve better outcomes for First Peoples in Victoria and close the gap.
The Productivity Commission found governments have underestimated the scale of change needed to meet their Closing the Gap commitments. It urged shared decision-making with First Peoples - and praised Victoria's Treaty process as a leading example.
These developments in negotiations are the latest on a long and steady path that Victoria has been walking for nearly a decade towards achieving Australia's first Treaty.
In Treaty negotiations, the Victorian Government is represented by senior Department of Premier and Cabinet executives, and appointed Member Negotiators represent the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria.
Established in 2018, the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria has proven effective in enabling Aboriginal Victorians to represent their communities and negotiate Treaty.
