Skip to main content

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

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

View Community

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

View About

Resources

Discussion papers
Read more
Information sheets
Read more
Publications
Read more

Connect with us on social media

FacebookInstagramTwitterLinkedIn
Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Wed love to see Victorian Traditional Owners knowledge and expertise recognised in Australias most prestigious science prizes.

Entries are open now!

👉🏾 $250,000 prize money
👉🏾 mob only
👉🏾 for individuals, teams or communities
👉🏾 solving big problems through traditional knowledge

Head to the Prime Ministers Science Prize website to learn more.

🔗 bit.ly/3LMXM7H | business.gov.au

We'd love to see Victorian Traditional Owners' knowledge and expertise recognised in Australia's most prestigious science prizes.

Entries are open now!

👉🏾 $250,000 prize money
👉🏾 mob only
👉🏾 for individuals, teams or communities
👉🏾 solving big problems through traditional knowledge

Head to the Prime Minister's Science Prize website to learn more.

🔗 bit.ly/3LMXM7H | business.gov.au
... See MoreSee Less

Illustrations, core funding, final reports: here’s what some of the Federation’s team is up to this week. 💡

🎨 We’ve put out a EOI for Traditional Owner illustrators for the Workforce Development Framework, and Gabby’s sifting through the beautiful samples we’ve just started receiving, while organising a workshop for TOC CEOs to provide further feedback on the overall Framework.

🌲 Kurt’s progressing well with the Nation Building Resource Pool grant program final reporting, and squeezed in a meeting with some environmental organisations, discussing the Cultural Landscapes Strategy and the future management of state forests.

👷🏾 Daniel’s pulling together a proposal for the Federal Government’s Strengthening Drought Resilience On Country program, which would see Traditional Owner groups leading place-based work to build drought and climate resilience – we’ve been encouraged to apply to be a regional delivery partner.

✍🏽 (Jill, who has overseen our more than five years of grant administration under the Nation Building Resource Pool and Aboriginal Culture and Healing Flood Recovery grant programs, is sharing insights with Daniel! And supporting Kurt with that final reporting effort.)

✍🏽 Reece is working with KordaMentha on the TOC core funding project, supporting First Peoples Assembly of Victoria’s Timber Creek compensation project, and working with the NNTCs Heritage Alliance on reforms to Federal cultural heritage legislation. 

🔥 Lisa’s deep in the first priority project for the Cultural Fire Leadership Group – sustainable funding! – and preparing for a workshop to discuss this with TOCs on 27 November.

✊🏾 And a few of us started the week on beautiful Taungurung Biik, at the Statewide Caring for Country Partnership Forum, supporting Traditional Owner groups’ priorities in that decision-making and accountability setting with Victorian Government leaders.

Illustrations, core funding, final reports: here’s what some of the Federation’s team is up to this week. 💡

🎨 We’ve put out a EOI for Traditional Owner illustrators for the Workforce Development Framework, and Gabby’s sifting through the beautiful samples we’ve just started receiving, while organising a workshop for TOC CEOs to provide further feedback on the overall Framework.

🌲 Kurt’s progressing well with the Nation Building Resource Pool grant program final reporting, and squeezed in a meeting with some environmental organisations, discussing the Cultural Landscapes Strategy and the future management of state forests.

👷🏾 Daniel’s pulling together a proposal for the Federal Government’s Strengthening Drought Resilience On Country program, which would see Traditional Owner groups leading place-based work to build drought and climate resilience – we’ve been encouraged to apply to be a regional delivery partner.

✍🏽 (Jill, who has overseen our more than five years of grant administration under the Nation Building Resource Pool and Aboriginal Culture and Healing Flood Recovery grant programs, is sharing insights with Daniel! And supporting Kurt with that final reporting effort.)

✍🏽 Reece is working with KordaMentha on the TOC core funding project, supporting First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria’s Timber Creek compensation project, and working with the NNTC's Heritage Alliance on reforms to Federal cultural heritage legislation.

🔥 Lisa’s deep in the first priority project for the Cultural Fire Leadership Group – sustainable funding! – and preparing for a workshop to discuss this with TOCs on 27 November.

✊🏾 And a few of us started the week on beautiful Taungurung Biik, at the Statewide Caring for Country Partnership Forum, supporting Traditional Owner groups’ priorities in that decision-making and accountability setting with Victorian Government leaders.
... See MoreSee Less

Our interim CEO Kaley had the privilege of witnessing Treaty become law today.

Treaty was signed, the Governor gave royal assent, and Victoria is now a state with a Treaty between First Peoples and Government.

Kaley told us:

“The mood was electric. I had goosebumps walking in, to witness history in the making.

I reflected on all those who walked before me on the journey; my Ancestors, Elders and peers, and children and those to come. Treaty is here!”

Our interim CEO Kaley had the privilege of witnessing Treaty become law today.

Treaty was signed, the Governor gave royal assent, and Victoria is now a state with a Treaty between First Peoples and Government.

Kaley told us:

“The mood was electric. I had goosebumps walking in, to witness history in the making.

I reflected on all those who walked before me on the journey; my Ancestors, Elders and peers, and children and those to come. Treaty is here!”
... See MoreSee Less

Victoria risks repeating the mistakes of the past if new critical minerals mines are rushed through without equitable involvement from Traditional Owners.

That's what we told ABC Wimmera, when our interim CEO Kaley Nicholson joined their breakfast show to talk benefit-sharing in critical minerals mining.

Hear the clip or read the transcript here 👉🏾bit.ly/3JWitNZ
... See MoreSee Less

Load more