Wednesday, 29 October 2025

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:25): I rise to speak on the 2024–25 annual report of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria. This report is not just a collection of pages and figures, it represents a historic step towards justice and self-determination for First Nations people in Victoria. Before I begin, I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today, the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung people of the Kulin nation, and I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded: it always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

I want to thank the past and present members of the First Peoples’ Assembly, including co-chairs Rueben Berg, Ngarra Murray and former co-chairs Aunty Geraldine Atkinson and Marcus Stewart. Their tireless work has brought us to this extraordinary moment where treaty is being debated and advanced in this Parliament. The journey to treaty has been deliberate and deeply consultative. Since its formation in 2019 the assembly has spent six years listening to communities, gathering ideas and aspirations and presenting them to the government and the public. That work has culminated in the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025, and it is a bill that will make the assembly permanent and enshrine its role in shaping a fairer future.

Over the past year, the assembly has achieved remarkable milestones. It launched the Treaty Authority at the Melbourne Museum in July 2024 and hosted major treaty gatherings in Geelong and at the MCG, where thousands of First Peoples came together to share stories, knowledge and aspirations. These events ensured that voices from across Victoria were heard and reflected in the negotiations. Community engagement has been central to this process. Through education and campaigning, the assembly has helped Victorians understand the deep history and colonialism and the significance of treaty, while strengthening its electoral roll and representation. I want to acknowledge the cultural celebrations that have accompanied this journey, such as the two Treaty Day Out concerts, featuring incredible artists like A.B. Original, Troy Cassar-Daley, Electric Fields, Emily Wurramara and more. These events brought people together in the spirit of unity and pride, while keeping the conversation about treaty front and centre. The passage of the Statewide Treaty Bill will strengthen this representative body as it evolves into the assembly of Gellung Warl, a democratic institution elected by and for First Peoples. The assembly will hold government to account, provide advice and continue vital community engagement to close the gap and deliver better outcomes for First People.

Before closing, I want to acknowledge the four current representatives from the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region who made treaty possible: Belinda Briggs from the Yorta Yorta and Wamba Wamba nations, Kaley Nicholson from the Taungurung nation, Levi Power from the Yorta Yorta nation and Nicole Atkinson from the Bangerang and Gunditjmara nations. Their leadership has been instrumental. I look forward to the continuing work of the assembly of Gellung Warl and proudly commend the achievements of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria over the past six years. I commend this report to the house.