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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

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Resources

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Thank you to everyone who attended First Nations’ Knowledge and Economy!

It was fantastic to bring together so many people who work with and care about Indigenous cultural and intellectual property (ICIP, if you prefer), to spend two days discussing how to grow and sustain commercial native plant industries in a way that respects cultural protocols, protects traditional knowledge, and ensures Traditional Owner groups – who hold the collective rights in ICIP – are at the centre of rapidly growing commercialisation.

With serendipitous timing, the conference opened on the same day a new parliamentary report into Indigenous economic opportunities made five specific recommendations calling for ICIP’s greater protection and promotion.

The Joint Standing Committee into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs told the Federal Government to ratify the Nagoya Protocol and WIPO Treaty; strengthen legislative and regulatory options for protecting, certifying and promoting Indigenous products and ICIP; create a database to substantiate Indigenous knowledge for access and benefit-sharing agreements; and establish a bushfoods and fibre industry peak body.

These are ideas we’ve been percolating on for a while, and it’s heartening to see members of parliament on the same page. Momentum is building and the message is clear: the rights of Traditional Owners must be front and centre as ICIP industries bloom.

Thank you to everyone who attended First Nations’ Knowledge and Economy!

It was fantastic to bring together so many people who work with and care about Indigenous cultural and intellectual property (ICIP, if you prefer), to spend two days discussing how to grow and sustain commercial native plant industries in a way that respects cultural protocols, protects traditional knowledge, and ensures Traditional Owner groups – who hold the collective rights in ICIP – are at the centre of rapidly growing commercialisation.

With serendipitous timing, the conference opened on the same day a new parliamentary report into Indigenous economic opportunities made five specific recommendations calling for ICIP’s greater protection and promotion.

The Joint Standing Committee into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs told the Federal Government to ratify the Nagoya Protocol and WIPO Treaty; strengthen legislative and regulatory options for protecting, certifying and promoting Indigenous products and ICIP; create a database to substantiate Indigenous knowledge for access and benefit-sharing agreements; and establish a bushfoods and fibre industry peak body.

These are ideas we’ve been percolating on for a while, and it’s heartening to see members of parliament on the same page. Momentum is building and the message is clear: the rights of Traditional Owners must be front and centre as ICIP industries bloom.
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Today, we’re walking among the red gums on Gunaikurnai Country to see Traditional Owner cultural game management in action.

Generously hosted by GLaWAC, we brought together people from Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, DJAARA, GLaWAC, Taungurung Land & Waters Council, Parks Victoria and the Victorian Governments Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions to talk about the four pilot projects funded by the Traditional Owner Game Management Strategy – a Traditional Owner-led vision for reinstating cultural knowledge and expertise in game management on Country.

Hunting, game and wildlife management is a way of life and expression of identity for Victorian Traditional Owners.

In 2021, government departments recognised this continuing cultural practice, and the significance of Traditional Owner knowledge and expertise in wildlife management, when they funded the Traditional Owner Game Management Strategy.

TOGMS – as it’s better known – was established in the spirit of genuine collaboration and self-determination, in a process driven by Traditional Owners and facilitated by the Federation.
 
Today, we walked the Knob Reserve – a deeply significant site where the five Gunaikurnai clans would meet, and where the Gunaikurnai native title determination was signed, which is now owned and jointly managed by GLaWAC – and spoke about the opportunities in shaping and strengthening future Traditional Owner game management work.

It was great to come together to learn from each other’s experiences and shape the future of cultural game management.

Thank you to GLaWAC for hosting us, and to everyone who joined the Day on Country.

Today, we’re walking among the red gums on Gunaikurnai Country to see Traditional Owner cultural game management in action.

Generously hosted by GLaWAC, we brought together people from Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, DJAARA, GLaWAC, Taungurung Land & Waters Council, Parks Victoria and the Victorian Government's Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions to talk about the four pilot projects funded by the Traditional Owner Game Management Strategy – a Traditional Owner-led vision for reinstating cultural knowledge and expertise in game management on Country.

Hunting, game and wildlife management is a way of life and expression of identity for Victorian Traditional Owners.

In 2021, government departments recognised this continuing cultural practice, and the significance of Traditional Owner knowledge and expertise in wildlife management, when they funded the Traditional Owner Game Management Strategy.

TOGMS – as it’s better known – was established in the spirit of genuine collaboration and self-determination, in a process driven by Traditional Owners and facilitated by the Federation.

Today, we walked the Knob Reserve – a deeply significant site where the five Gunaikurnai clans would meet, and where the Gunaikurnai native title determination was signed, which is now owned and jointly managed by GLaWAC – and spoke about the opportunities in shaping and strengthening future Traditional Owner game management work.

It was great to come together to learn from each other’s experiences and shape the future of cultural game management.

Thank you to GLaWAC for hosting us, and to everyone who joined the Day on Country.
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