Wednesday, 15 October 2025

 Sheena WATT (Northern Metropolitan) (17:22): President, thank you so much for the call and the opportunity to speak this evening on the 2024–25 annual report of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria. This report truly captures an extraordinary year, one that will be remembered as the moment Victoria became the first jurisdiction in Australia to begin formal treaty negotiations.

In November 2024 on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country at Darebin Parklands the ceremonial opening of treaty negotiations took place. It was a powerful gathering of traditional owners, community members and allies, marking the beginning of Statewide Treaty talks between the assembly and the Victorian government. Five fires were lit, dances were performed from every region across our state, and spears and a woomera were exchanged to symbolise the unity and strength required to move forward together.

The co-chairs Rueben Berg and Ngarra Murray described this as the biggest year yet for the assembly. For more than six years they have been gathering the voices and priorities of First Peoples across Victoria. Now those ideas have moved from consultation to negotiation. Their message is clear: Statewide Treaty is almost here.

Among the most significant developments this year was the first traditional owner group formally entering the pathway to a local treaty. The Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation notified the Treaty Authority of its intention to negotiate an agreement reflecting its local priorities and connection to Jaara country. This step demonstrates how local treaties will complement the Statewide Treaty – the bill of which is soon to come to this place – empowering communities to design solutions suited to their own lands and people. The Self-Determination Fund continues to play a vital role in enabling this work. This fund is managed independently. The fund supports traditional owner groups to prepare for negotiations and to build long-term economic capacity.

Since July 2024 it has funded more than 20 traditional owner organisations, from the Bangerang and Bunurong land councils to Eastern Maar and Yorta Yorta, ensuring communities can enter treaty negotiations on a more equal footing. Cultural guidance remains central to the Assembly’s work. The Elders’ Voice, co-chaired by Aunty Esme Bamblett and Uncle Rodney Carter, continues to provide wisdom and oversight grounded in lore. I also think it is essential that we talk about the Youth Voice. Convened by Alice Pepper and Jordan Edwards, they are empowering young First Peoples to shape the future they will inherit. Through workshops, summits and community surveys, young Victorians are asserting their voice in this historic process. The Treaty Authority is the independent body of First Peoples leaders that continues to oversee negotiations with fairness, honour, responsibility and connection to country at the core of its work. This report also celebrates the power of truth-telling alongside treaty.

In 2025 the Yoorrook Justice Commission concluded its final report after a four-year process of hearing from First Peoples the truth about colonisation and injustice. Commissioner Travis Lovett led the Walk for Truth from Portland to Parliament House, and so many of us here in this place are out there to greet him. It was a 10,000-strong journey that reaffirmed that truth and treaty go hand in hand. Community celebrations and pride for our community were on full display through the Treaty Day Out Gippsland held on Gunaikurnai country, featuring A.B. Original, Electric Fields and Troy Cassar-Daley. These events have brought tens of thousands of Victorians together in a shared commitment to treaty.

I have got to say, these achievements represent the most significant advancement towards justice and self-determination in Victoria’s history. The report shows an Assembly that is determined, that is driven by the principles that decisions about First Peoples must be made by First Peoples. As we look towards 2026 and the next phase of negotiations, the Assembly’s message remains clear: treaty must deliver outcomes, lasting accountability and a better future for every Victorian. Victoria is showing the nation what it means to walk together in truth, respect and self-determination. The work of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria is laying the groundwork for a more just and inclusive state, and its impact will be felt for generations to come. With great pride I commend the 2024–25 annual report of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria to the house and welcome wholeheartedly the debate that will take place very soon right here to make Statewide Treaty a reality.