Walk with Us: A Treaty for Victoria

Walk with Us: A Treaty for Victoria

Treaties have been made between people for thousands of years. They are used to create agreements between peoples, to negotiate common rights, political or military alliances, share resources, and provide compensation for wrongdoing. 

Most colonised countries have treaties with the First Peoples of their lands – we see examples of this in Canada, the United States, Sweden, New Zealand, and many others. It is unusual that the British Colonisers did not seek to make Treaties with the First Peoples of Australia, instead they called this land Terra Nullius (no-one's land). This was clearly untrue and has led to great suffering and injustice. 

We are lucky that here in Victoria we are negotiating a statewide Treaty with Victorian First Nations peoples. 

You might be wondering how this has come about and why it is important.  

First Nations Peoples have been asking to be heard ever since invasion. In Victoria we had great First Nations leaders like William Barak, Billibellary, and others who tried to negotiate rights for their people. These efforts have continued up until today. 

In August 2018, the commitment to Treaty was formalised in law with the passage of the Advancing the Treaty Process with Aboriginal Victorians Act 2018 (Treaty Act) – the first Treaty legislation in Australia's history. 

Take a look at this historical day in the Victorian Parliament in 2018. 

In Victoria we will start to negotiate Treaty later this year (2024). 

The First People’s Assembly of Victoria will negotiate the Treaty with the Victorian Government. They are an independent, democratically elected body that represents Traditional Owners of Country and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Victoria.  A Treaty Authority has been set up to be the independent umpire in negotiations, underpinned by the Negotiation Framework which establishes the rules of the negotiations. 

The Yoorrook Justice Commission has been taking submissions about the many injustices and problems that affect First Nations Peoples in Victoria, from the past up until the present day. They will be reporting back to the Assembly with their findings. 

Why is Treaty important? 

Treaty is important because First Nations people in Victoria will be empowered to decide how to resolve issues that affect them and the best ways to nourish their communities and cultures into the future. It will impact areas as diverse as criminal justice, child protection, education, civil justice, housing, health and wellbeing, the Arts, languages, and employment. 

After an initial statewide Treaty, smaller treaties will be developed with Traditional Owners and tiers of government (State and Local). 

The benefits will be shared by all Victorians.  

All Victorians will benefit from the unique perspectives of First Nations peoples– which have amongst the oldest, continuous, living cultures on the planet, in areas as diverse as philosophy, the Arts, Governance, education, Science, Landcare, and sustainability. First Nations businesses and enterprises will stimulate the economy and open new ways of working.  

Most of all, as Victorians we will have fully embraced the unique Cultures and Peoples of the lands on which we live, and therefore live with greater honesty and understanding. 

You can learn more by: 

Booking in for this Treaty panel, which is supported by Nillumbik and Banyule councils – it’s free! 

Talking Treaty, Sunday 8 September, 2pm—4pm at Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre

You may have heard about the Deadly Collection – the collection brings together our extensive collection of books written by First Nations authors. It’s a great way to explore First Nations creativity and cultures. 

Further Resources:

Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save The World by Tyson Yunkaporta

Also available as Audiobook (CD and MP3), and eBook (Libby).

Tyson Yunakaporta looks at global systems from an Indigenous perspective. He asks how contemporary life diverges from the pattern of creation. How does this affect us? How can we do things differently? Sand Talk provides a template for living. It's about how lines, symbols, and shapes can help us make sense of the world.  

Astronomy: Sky Country by Karlie Noon

Also available as an eBook (Libby).

 In Astronomy: Sky Country, Karlie Noon and Krystal De Napoli explore the connections between Aboriginal environmental and cultural practices and the behaviour of the stars and consider what must be done to sustain our dark skies, and the information they hold, into the future. 

Praiseworthy Alexis Wright

Also available as eAudio (BorrowBox) and eBook (BorrowBox).

Praiseworthy is an epic set in the north of Australia, told with the richness of language and scale of imagery for which Alexis Wright has become renowned. In a small town dominated by a haze cloud, which heralds both an ecological catastrophe and a gathering of the ancestors, a crazed visionary seeks out donkeys as the solution to the global climate crisis and the economic dependency of the Aboriginal people. 

Women & Children by Tony Birch

 Also available as eAudio (Libby), eBook (BorrowBox), and as an Audiobook (MP3).

A powerful, personal novel about women, children, and justice, from one of this country's most loved and clear-eyed storytellers.