Statewide Treaty is a proud moment in history and a significant step forward for the Aboriginal community-level decision-making that will close the gap and ensure all Victorians have the same opportunities to live happy, safe, healthy lives.

The Victorian Government is selling out Traditional Owner rights for a few hundred tonnes of shellfish, and must immediately commit to a Traditional Owner-led fisheries strategy if it’s serious about fair Treaty-making.

A new Federal Government approach to working with First Nations communities as “economic decision-makers” reconnected to “the wealth of their land and waters” is a welcome and important change, says the statewide body that advocates for the rights and interests of Victorian Traditional Owner groups – but must not leave behind groups without recognised native title or ignore the Victorian research outlining a Traditional Owner-led pathway to economic justice.

The Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations welcomes today’s historic native title consent determination for the First Peoples of the Millewa-Mallee, which includes Latji Latji, Ngintait, and Nyeri Nyeri peoples with ancestral connections to north-west Victoria.

The truth of land dispossession laid out by Victoria’s historic truth-telling inquiry clearly demonstrates the central role to be played by Traditional Owner groups in a just and reconciled future.

A statement on the Federation’s leadership from Board Chairperson, Cassandra Lewis.

The Victorian Budget’s commitments to truth, Treaty and self-determination for First Nations communities can only be delivered by sustained resourcing for Traditional Owner Corporations.

A Victorian Government dingo decision that may have breached Aboriginal peoples’ legal rights must be rectified by enabling Traditional Owner management of culturally significant species, regardless of the outcome of a legal challenge to the decision.

Ending disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples requires an economic transformation driven by land rights and justice – and a new report, launched today, outlines 11 steps to create independent wealth for First Nations communities and unlock $1 billion in benefits for the Victorian economy.