Tuesday, 14 October 2025

 The SPEAKER (13:31): Members, pursuant to a resolution of this house I have the privilege to invite Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dhudhuroa, Dja Dja Wurrung woman Ngarra Murray and Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg to the floor of the house. On behalf of the honourable members of this house I acknowledge, as we do every sitting day, the traditional owners of the land we are meeting on. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present, as well as elders with us here today from other communities. Co-chairs Murray and Berg, I now invite you both to read out the names of the members of the First Peoples’ Assembly and address the house.

Ngarra MURRAY (13:32): The assembly represents the five regions of Victoria – South East, South West, North East, North West and Metropolitan – and the reserved seats of the Barengi Gadjin, Bunurong and Dja Dja Wurrung clans; Eastern Maar; First People of the Millewa-Mallee; Gunaikurnai Land and Waters; Gunditjmara traditional owners; Taungurung Land and Waters; Wadawurrung Traditional Owners; Wamba Wemba and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung.

I will now introduce to the floor the assembly members: Alice Pepper, Gunnai, Yorta Yorta, Mutti Mutti, Gunditjmara, Arrernte; Alister Thorpe, Gunai, Yorta Yorta, Gunditjmara, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung; Uncle Andrew Gardiner, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung; Barry Firebrace-Briggs, Yorta Yorta, Ulupna, Wamba Wamba, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung; Belinda Briggs, Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba; Brian Stevens, Gunai; Uncle Bryon Powell, Wadawurrung; Djaran Murray-Jackson, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dhudhuroa, Waywurru, Barapa Barapa, Wergaia, Wiradjuri; Aunty Donna Wright, Kerrupmara, Nillaan, Gunditjmara, Dhauwurd wurrung, Djab wurrung, Kamilaroi; Aunty Esme Bamblett, Bangerang, Taungurung, Wiradjuri; Gnerick Gnerick Gary Murray, Dhudhuroa, Yorta Yorta, Barapa Barapa, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wamba Wemba, Wergaia, Wiradjeri, Waywurru; Indi Clarke, Wemba Wemba, Mutti Mutti, Boon Wurrung, Trawlwoolway, Lardil; Jacinta Chaplin Morgan, Wadi Wadi, Wamba Wamba; Jason Kelly, Mutthi Mutthi, Wamba Wamba; Jordan Edwards, Gunditjmara, Waddawurrung, Arrernte; Kaley Nicholson, Taungurung, Wamba Wamba, Barapa Barapa, Yorta Yorta, Bunurong, Mutti Mutti; Levi Power, Yorta Yorta; Lisa Briggs, Gunditjmara; Lowana Moore, Wamba Wamba; Melissa Jones, Latje Latje, Jupagulk; Uncle Michael ‘Mookeye’ Bell, Gunditjmara, Boandik; Nerita Waight, Yorta Yorta, Narrandjeri; Nicole Atkinson, Bangerang, Gunditjmara; Peter Hood, Kurnai; Uncle Rodney Carter, Dja Dja Wurrung; Sheree Lowe, Peek Whurrong, Djab Whurrung, Kirrae Whurrung; Aunty Tracey Evans, Gunditjmara, Bundjalung; Troy Austin, Gunditjmara; Troy McDonald, Gunaikurnai, Gunditjmara, Boandik; Zoe Upton, Bunurong, Trawoolway.

Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Ngarra Murray, and I am a proud Yorta Yorta / Wamba Wamba / Dja Dja Wurrung / Dhudhuroa woman. I am an elected co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, alongside Rueben Berg. First Peoples have been caring for country for at least tens of thousands of years. Pre-colonisation Victoria was home to about 60,000 First Peoples, comprising 300 to 500 clan groups and speaking over 40 First Peoples languages. Each language carried the stories, lores, songs and knowledge systems that connected people to country.

Aboriginal people are deeply connected to the land through stories, languages and systems of relational sovereignty that have guided our way of life for thousands of generations. Being part of the oldest continuous living culture on this planet is to walk in the footsteps of our old people, whose knowledge, stories and spirits stretch back more than 60,000 years. It is to carry a history so vast that it predates the Egyptian pyramids. It is to hold the wisdom of this land and the lore that has been passed down from generation to generation.

The enormity of this truth is humbling and powerful. It means we have unbroken bloodlines. We are guardians of the world’s most ancient stories and the keepers of a legacy that continues to guide our future. Connection to country is as profound as it is unique. Our cultural practices are founded on and embedded within a worldview in which people and country are one. The sovereignty of First Peoples in Victoria has never been ceded and continues to exist.

On behalf of the assembly, we pay respect to the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples, their ancestors, elders and family clans of this country. Here in Naarm, the land of Bunjil and Waa, the Wurundjeri have been generous and shared and provided a platform and a place for the fight for equality. That includes this place, the Parliament of Victoria, so we thank Uncle Andrew Gardiner for the welcoming this morning and Thane Garvey for the smoking ceremony to keep us grounded on a big day for everyone in this Parliament. I acknowledge all First Peoples in the room today, particularly our assembly members; the inaugural co-chairs, Aunty Geri Atkinson and Marcus Stewart; former Treaty commissioner Aunty Jill Gallagher; our elders; the Treaty Authority members; and former Yoorrook justice commissioners. I acknowledge the leadership of the Premier Jacinta Allan; the Minister for Treaty and First Peoples Natalie Hutchins; the Parliamentary Secretary for First Peoples Christine Couzens; Sheena Watt, Gabrielle Williams and all the cabinet members, a number of whom have walked with us on this 10-year journey.

Our ancestors as children watched the white man come to our country. They would have seen many of their people die. Some were killed in cruel reprisals when they tried to keep their territory. Some were shot down in the blackfella hunt – no different to the kangaroo hunt; simply to clear the land. Some were given presents of poisoned flour. Some died from the white man’s diseases, some from his alcohol. The history of dispossession in this country is long. Our dispossession was effected by the colonisers through a systemic campaign of intentional violence. Our people felt the impacts of colonisation and dispossession physically, culturally, spiritually, economically and legally.

We heard many of these truths through Yoorrook. Our people are storytellers by nature, and we ensured those stories were carried forward. Yoorrook was the first formal truth-telling in this country, but it will not be the last. Through treaty, we will ensure ongoing truth-telling. That is because we have been vocal about the impacts on and the conditions of our people for a long time. In 1933 William Cooper circulated a petition asking for Aboriginal representation in Parliament, to have a say on the decisions that directly affected our people. In 1937 William Ferguson and Jack Patten launched their initiative. They called for the emancipation and betterment of Aboriginal people. In 1938, at the Day of Mourning, the explicit call from people like my grandfather Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls was for equality within the community, and 90 years on – until very, very recently – we were still having the same conversation, talking about the same struggles and calling for the same actions.

For a long time this country and this state tried to forget or erase the past, but we remembered. This time for paternalistic governments making decisions on behalf of our people ends with this treaty. No longer will policies be made about us without us. Our people will no longer tolerate being the political football that politicians kick around looking to further their own selfish interests.

We are sovereign peoples with the oldest systems of governance on earth, and we bring that knowledge forward to today, where we stand at a crossroads. We as a state, all Victorians, are presented with an opportunity for a new way forward. This treaty heralds an era where everyone prospers. It is built on respect, truth and shared responsibility, where First Peoples culture, knowledge and authority are not just acknowledged but are central to how we govern, care for country and make decisions together, as children growing up proud of who they are, walking confidently in two worlds, knowing their language and history and that their rights are honoured. It is healthier lands and rivers because decisions are guided by thousands of years of wisdom. It is a future where Victoria is known not just for its natural beauty but for the way it nurtures culture, celebrates diversity and ensures that safety, dignity and opportunity are shared by all. In this era our ethos and civic responsibility are defined by how deeply we value one another. It is felt in stronger relationships and in communities thriving. I hope this is something that is felt and embraced by all Victorians no matter their cultural background.

This new era is the culmination of the work from everyone here in this room, particularly those who you can see in the gallery, but also of the tens of thousands of people across the state that walked with us on this journey bridging the past to now. Victoria has led the way for a decade in enacting that change. We have passed legislation in this place before, twice, without opposition, with overwhelming support from all sides of the political sphere, and today we seek to continue that path. I invite all members of this place to support us once again and enable meaningful change. At the forefront of creating change is Gellung Warl. I invite everyone in this room and in this state to stand proudly as we walk that bridge towards Gellung Warl. In Gunaikurnai, Gellung Warl means tip of the spear, a spear that is crafted with a task in mind. Created with care, a spear is not haste alone, nor is it passive; it is endurance, it is measured calmness and understanding the timing to take action, and that time is now. Thank you.

Members applauded.

Rueben BERG (13:43): Ngata. Ngatook Gunditjmara. Ngatook Kirrae Wurrung. Ngatook Djaparung. Ngatook Worimi. Ngatook Parabeena. Leenyar meering than yang poonart. Wanyoon Wurundjeri Meering. T’do Wurundjeri Leenyar. T’do Wurundjeri Kakoon.

Gellung Warl, the tip of the spear. Across these lands spears were made for different needs: pronged spears for the shallows, close work; single-point hunting spears for distance and accuracy; ceremonial spears that speak to status, process, responsibility, made from wood, straightened by hand, spear point reinforced by fire, fibre and sinew bound with resin so the point and the body do not part. This is our guide. The tip is Gellung Warl; the wood of the spear, our community; the binding is treaty; the line of sight and the throw are our self-determination. We shape the point together, bind our purpose and we take responsibility for the throw.

When we talk about the work involved together to get us to this stage of the treaty process, it is about much more than the current members of the First Peoples’ Assembly. It is the members of the Aboriginal Treaty Interim Working Group, the Community Assembly, the Aboriginal Treaty Working Group and previous members of the Assembly, as well as all of those community members who participated in the roadshows, consultations, treaty engagements and yarns. It is the traditional owner workshops, the Aboriginal community controlled organisation workshops from 2017 to today, where we stand here in Parliament to talk about the first Statewide Treaty.

This first Statewide Treaty is a renewed and enduring relationship between First Peoples and the state. It honours an unbroken connection to country and to Aboriginal lore, law and cultural authority. It affirms a simple principle recognised around the world: First Peoples decide First Peoples’ issues. For the last 200 years, we have had successive governments saying they know best about our business. Countless bodies, commissions and policies have been set up without the leadership of First Peoples. Even with governments with good intentions, it just does not work. All of us can agree our approach must change. Today we can agree to move forward together by discontinuing the centuries of ineffective and harmful policies. This is not a favour asked, but a right recognised. Not a louder plea, but a clearer purpose. Not charity, but justice.

Treaty must live beyond the page. Treaty will be felt in classrooms and on riverbanks, in hospitals and in homes. Truth that lives in schools, so our children learn the story of this place – whole and honest. Country that speaks its names, so signs, forests and maps call places by their language names again and reflect some of the Earth’s oldest stories. Programs led by First Peoples, so the work of honouring and building our communities is in our hands. Independent eyes on government and on us, so promises meet results and results get outcomes. We do this not to divide Victoria, but to complete it; not to take anything from anyone, but to make this place more whole for everyone.

Good intentions have too often outlived good outcomes, so the Gellung Warl will begin this work immediately. We will set measurable milestones. We will implement practical, impactful pathways. We will report progress openly. We are answerable to our community first, through larbargirrar gnuurtak tulkuuk. We will accept scrutiny from our people, from this Parliament and from independent bodies, and we will measure success where it counts.

Truth-telling will continue through Nyerna Yoorrook Telkuna – place-based, self-determined, building the public record and enabling healing. Government accountability will be real through Nginma Ngainga Wara, examining policy, programs and spending, naming institutional racism and embedding cultural safety. These are not performative gestures; they are powerful tools – and tools are for getting work done.

Everyone here can take pride in leading the way in Australia, like Victoria has done time and time again. Victorians do not turn away; we step forward, accepting the weight of history and the responsibility to carry it. But we can also take comfort in knowing that treaty is not a novel idea. Niagara, 1764. Delaware, 1778. Waitangi, 1840. Sámi, 1972. Inuvialuit, 1984. Nunavut, 1993. Nisga’a, 1999. Whitecap Dakota Nation, 2023.

There are hundreds like them, but this one is ours – Naarm 2025. Around the world, treaties have been in place for centuries, and quite simply, they work. When First Peoples lead, outcomes improve. So while this is an historic day, I reiterate that we Australians are late to it. We choose it now by emulating what succeeds and shaping it to this country and our communities.

To the Parliament: I remind you that treaty lives beyond the page; it must live beyond these walls. To our people: stand with us – steady, patient, proud. From today we are no longer asking for a seat at the government’s table; from today we set our own table, and we lead the work that affects us. Treaty is about our people bringing their stories, truths, ideas and scrutiny to this newly set table – our table, our work. And to every Victorian: no matter your story, this treaty is an invitation – one that has been called for for a long time – that we now arrive at. Whether you and your families have been here for five years or 50,000, people seek Victoria as a home, as a place that is respecting and accepting of all people.

There are many powerful guides for us on this journey to treaty. My dad Jim Berg once said, in reference to culturally scarred trees:

If you can look at a scarred tree, it’s … starting a healing process where it’s coming towards the middle … To me, that … represents the people. On one side we have Koori people and, on the other side, non-Koori people, slowly coming together and reaching out for each other.

The healing process has begun.

Dad was talking about just the start of healing, something that can take a long time, but not long ago, just a few weeks ago, my eight-year-old daughter wrote a report about treaty for a school project, which said: treaty is a group of men and women to help Aboriginal people get their true rights back, which makes it really, really important to Aboriginal mobs such as the Gunditjmara. Treaty has moved from a far-off aspiration to a soon-to-be-realised reality, and it will become something which future generations will see as the standard way of doing business.

Between my dad, myself and my daughter we represent three generations of the Gunditjmara. We carry truths in our hearts and healing in our hands. I stand here now, and I urge everyone today to join us in making history, in heralding in a new era – the treaty era. Let us walk forward together – walk with truth in our hearts and fairness in our stride. Thank you.

Members applauded.

The SPEAKER: We thank the members of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria for being with us today. We thank the co-chairs, Ngarra Murray and Rueben Berg, for their inspiring words. I ask members to acknowledge the co-chairs as they withdraw from the chamber.

The house will pause until the bells ring for question time at 2 pm.

Sitting suspended 1:55 pm until 2:01 pm.

Business interrupted under sessional orders.

The SPEAKER: I would like to acknowledge in the gallery a visiting delegation from the Parliament of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa: the Honourable Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba, the Honourable Mthandeni Dlungwana, the Honourable Marlaine Nair and the Honourable LJ De Klerk.