Home - Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations

Welcome to the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations

The Federation is the Victorian state-wide body that convenes and advocates for the rights and interests of Traditional Owners while progressing wider social, economic, environmental and cultural objectives.

About Us

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land we work on as the First Peoples of this Country.

Country

Healthy Country means healthy communities. Our work recognises Traditional Owners’ rights and responsibilities to care and make decisions for Country.

Traditional Owner groups have knowledge, rights and responsibilities, stemming from 65,000 years of experience on Country. The Federation works in the following areas to embed Traditional Owner voices in management of Country.

Filter

All Country

Animals

Climate

Cultural Landscapes

Fire

Heritage

Plants

Water

View Country

Community

Community wellbeing means strong culture, people and place.

The Federation’s work recognises Traditional Owner groups as authoritative decision-makers with rights and power. Our advocacy, programs and services enable Traditional Owners to get on with the business of caring for Country, culture and community.

Filter

All Community

Aboriginal Culture and Healing Flood Recovery Grant Program

Country-based planning services

First Principles Review

Nation-building

Rights

Treaty

View Community

Economy

Economic development supports community wellbeing and is critical to enabling self-determination.

Filter

All Economy

Aboriginal-owned joint ventures

Indigenous preferential procurement

Local government

Native foods and botanicals business grants

Native foods and botanicals strategy

Renewable energy

Victorian Aboriginal economic development

View Economy

Impact

The Federation’s advocacy shapes the landscape in which Victorian Traditional Owner corporations do their important work.

We have put cultural fire and cultural water on the agenda for government, sought greater protections for Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, fought for a fair place in the expanding native foods and botanicals industry, championed treaty and self-determination, supported a drastic reconsideration of how our cultural heritage is approached at both state and national levels, and worked to have economic development considered as more than just small business grants.

See our impact

About

The Federation is the Victorian state-wide body that convenes and advocates for the rights and interests of Traditional Owner groups while progressing wider social, economic, environmental and cultural objectives.

We support the progress of agreement-making and participation in decision-making to enhance the authority of Traditional Owner Corporations on behalf of their communities.

Filter

All About

Resources

Discussion papers

Information sheets

Publications

Connect with us on social media

Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn

Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations

4 days ago

January 26 is the day dispossession began.

It's not a date to celebrate.

We stand with Traditional Owner groups strengthening their Country, culture and communities – recognising them as representative, authoritative and proudly self-determining groups who are continuing thousands of years of work caring for Country.

Here's some small ways you too can support Traditional Owners. ... See MoreSee Less

Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations

5 days ago

Donald Trump might want Greenland, but it’s the people’s right to decide what happens to them.

Greenlandic people’s rights to decide their own lives were recognised in a 2008 referendum that laid the legal foundation for future independence, if they choose, and affirmed their inherent right to self-determination.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede said in a press conference this weekend:

“We have a desire for independence, a desire to be the master of our own house… This is something everyone should respect. Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic.”

Greenland is an example of the importance of recognising and respecting a peoples’ right to self-determination, without interference – which is what we’re interested in here in Victoria for Traditional Owners.

The fundamental right of a people to decide the course and circumstances of their own lives, and make decisions about matters that affect them, is universal and paramount.

If you believe a US president-elect and a Danish monarchy shouldn’t decide the lives of Greenlandic people, you support self-determination. ... See MoreSee Less

Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations

1 week ago

A lot happened with dingo last year.

You'll probably remember the Victorian Government's September decision to 'unprotect' dingo across much of the state – allowing the killing of culturally significant and vulnerable native animal, against the express wishes of many Traditional Owners.

Uncle Charles Pakana and the team at Victorian Aboriginal News have covered the dingo debacle extensively – speaking with Traditional Owners, ecologists, farmers and the Federation about the cultural and environmental significance of the dingo, and what can be done to protect livestock from predation without killing a beautiful native animal.

On Christmas Eve, Uncle Charles summarised their two-month investigation, and turned his gaze to the two government ministers responsible for the 'unprotection' order: agriculture minister Ros Spence, and environment minister Steve Dimopoulos – who assured Uncle Charles at Treaty negotiations opening that his requested interview would be actioned, yet:

"Unfortunately, and hardly surprisingly, another refusal was given, proving to be yet one more instance where the Victorian Government’s commitment to open communications with First Nations was demonstrated to be sorely lacking."

Catch up on the dingo decision and support Aboriginal journalism here: ... See MoreSee Less

Ministers Dimopoulos and Spence remaining silent on the questionable motivation leading to the dingo "death warrant" - Victorian Aboriginal News

vicaboriginalnews.com.au

In this end-of-year episode, Charles brings together key points from two months of investigation and interviews and presents an update on legal action against the Government.

Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations

1 week ago

Fire is a natural and functional part of the Victorian landscape – but, as we’re seeing again this summer, the climate crisis brings fires that are more frequent, severe and unpredictable.

Traditional Owners know the ways they’ve cared for Country over tens of thousands of years could help heal Country damaged by fire, mitigate future risk, and strengthen their connection to culture.

Six years of sustained advocacy by Victorian Traditional Owners brought last year’s welcome news that the Victorian Government’s new ten-year Bushfire Management Strategy would explicitly include Traditional Owner cultural fire approaches.

These principles – and Traditional Owners’ ambitions for reinvigorating cultural fire, across all types of Country and land tenure – were captured in the Traditional Owner Cultural Fire Strategy. It’s a landmark document prepared by Traditional Owners, in a process we facilitated, which would enable Traditional Owners to fulfil their obligations to care for Country.

We were honoured to help facilitate the Strategy, and to advocate for its incorporation in the government’s Bushfire Management Strategy, through direct engagement with government and a written submission.

Our thoughts are with the tireless emergency service workers and affected communities on this summer’s fire fronts, and our hopes for the future are courageous policy decisions that address the climate crisis and enable Traditional Owners to heal Country. ... See MoreSee Less