Yesterday, the Advancing the Treaty Process with Aboriginal Victorians Bill 2018 was passed by the lower house. This is a significant step and, while we are still a long way from a Treaty, it enables a process to establish an Aboriginal Representative Body, a Treaty Authority and Self-Determination fund which will all eventually lead to the negotiation of a Treaty.
As we await the Bill’s debate in the upper house VACCA wishes to thank and acknowledge the community support and our representative MPs who supported this Bill. We have a sincere hope that this support will become bipartisan in the future and that this was the right way forward in Victoria’s relationship with the Traditional owners of this land.
We are now one step closer to achieving a historic moment in this state’s and this nation’s history with the first ever Treaty achieved in our country’s history. Treaty provides an avenue for justice, truth telling and self-determination, where Victorian Aboriginal people will be equal parties in the decision making process.