A historic treaty agreement has been signed in Victoria, providing the framework and ground rules for negotiations to start.
The deal between the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria and the state government was formalised during an official ceremony on Thursday with treaty talks expected to begin next year.
The state government has set aside $65 million over three years for a self-determination fund to help Traditional Owners prepare for the talks.
Co-chair of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria and Bangerang/Wiradjuri Elder, Aunty Geraldine Atkinson, said the deal was a significant step forward.
"The agreement means that actual treaty negotiations might start next year," she told reporters in Fairfield.
"We've laid the foundations, we've worked out a fair and inclusive framework and we see is this is a clear track forward."
She said the agreement ensured Traditional Owners could choose their own paths to a treaty.
Co-Chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Marcus Stewart (left) and Acting treaty and First Peoples minister Colin Brooks MP during the signing of an agreement that provides the framework and ground-rules for Treaty-making in Victoria, at Yarra Bend, in Melbourne, Thursday, October 20, 2022. Source: AAP / JAMES ROSS/AAPIMAGE
Acting Treaty and First Peoples Minister Colin Brooks said the self-determination fund was a key element in the agreement.
"The fund will provide first peoples with the financial resources to ensure treaty negotiations are fair and equitable," he said.
Under the framework, only a single Indigenous delegation can be formed to negotiate a treaty for a particular area with the Victorian government, which means some traditional owner groups will need to combine to form delegations.
Assembly co-chair and Nira illim bulluk man of the Taungurung nation Marcus Stewart said the agreement would help ensure Indigenous people had the power to make decisions impacting them.
"This agreement puts the power back into Aboriginal hands so that we can decide how we want to do things and how to get treaty done," he said.
The Victorian state budget in May included $151.4 million to advance the treaty process, with another $60.5 million to set up an independent treaty authority as part of legislation passed in August.
The legislation, the , enabled the development of a Victorian Treaty Authority, which would sit outside of state bureaucracy and be safeguarded from election cycles.
Victoria has enacted the truth and treaty elements of the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart.
The state's truth-telling inquiry, the Yoorrook Justice Commission, began holding public hearings in April.
In July, it requested the government extend the due date for its final report from 2024 to 2026 and sign off on additional resources as it works to establish a public record of Indigenous experiences since colonisation.
Other states and territories, including Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia, have taken initial steps towards treaties with Indigenous people.
