Members of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria will meet later this week to finalise the details of the Treaty negotiation framework.
Following the passing of legislation to establish an independent Treaty Authority, the Treaty Negotiation Framework and the Self-Determination Fund are the last two pieces of Treaty-making architecture to be agreed on before negotiations can begin.
The Assembly will meet at Lakes Entrance on the lands of the Tatungalung and Krauatungalung peoples of the Gunaikurnai Nation.
Assembly co-chair and Bangerang and Wiradjuri Elder Aunty Geraldine Atkinson said while discussions with government were progressing, the Assembly had items to agree on before further action could be taken.
“We’re getting to the pointy end of things, which is really exciting,” she said.
“We want mob to decide how they organise and represent themselves, so we’ve removed government completely from that process, this is about doing it our way,”
The Treaty Negotiation Framework will set the ground rules for future Treaty negotiations in a statewide context and for Traditional Owner Treaties on matters relating to communities.
It will detail how Traditional Owners can express interest in negotiating a Treaty and outline how different groups in the same or overlapping areas can utilise the Treaty Authority to form combined ‘negotiation delegations’.
The framework will take reference from other countries’ models, and could include Treaties on National Park management, culture and language, and land and water hand backs and entitlements.
“Invasion took a severe toll on the many nations in this state, but this process is helping us address the fault lines and mend some of the common threads,” Aunty Geraldine said.
“Through this Treaty process we can both build our collective strength and maintain our diverse voices and identities.“
The Assembly is the independent elected body to represent Traditional Owners and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Victoria.
It has established the state’s first truth-telling process looking into the injustices and effects of colonisation in Victoria, the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
The Commission’s findings will assist in ongoing Treaty negotiations.
“Our people have a voice in the Assembly, we have truth up and running with the Yoorrook Justice Commission, and Treaty is within our reach,” Aunty Geraldine said.
“We just need to dot the Is and cross the Ts on the framework and make sure the government meets us in the moment and isn’t stingy when it comes to the Self-Determination Fund.
“That would be a great disappointment for our community and could bring the whole thing crumbling down.”