The Federation offers secretariat services that facilitate spaces were Traditional Owner groups build collective positions and jointly make decisions.
From straightforward meeting-scribing to assistance forming constructive agendas and driving policy change, our work supports Traditional Owner groups to take their place at decision-making tables and collaborate on issues that matter to them.
We’re currently the secretariat for two governance bodies that convene the formally recognised Traditional Owner groups in Victoria with the Victorian Government. These spaces aim to:
- progress reforms that matter to Traditional Owner groups
- sharpen the focus of Traditional Owner groups’ shared positions, and
- help keep the Victorian Government accountable to its commitment to Aboriginal self-determination.
Our secretariat work
The Statewide Caring for Country Partnership Forum was established in 2020 to provide a way for Traditional Owner Corporations to progress issues and share decision-making power with the Victorian Government’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA).
The 12 formally recognised Traditional Owner groups in Victoria form the Traditional Owner Corporation Caucus (TOC Caucus) as one arm of this Caring for Country Partnership. The Federation is the TOC Caucus’s secretariat.
We contribute policy thinking, agenda-setting, convening and facilitation, in addition to the administration of six annual TOC Caucus meetings and support for the Partnership Forums with DEECA agencies and staff that is held twice a year.
Formed in 2021, the Cultural Fire Leadership Group (CFLG) envisages Traditional Owner leadership of cultural fire in Victoria and full implementation of the Cultural Fire Strategy. It brings together representatives from the 12 Victorian Traditional Owner groups with formal recognition to work in partnership with DEECA and its agencies to progress agreed priorities to achieve the objectives of the Cultural Fire Strategy. The Federation commenced as the CFLG’s secretariat in July 2025, working to advance an expanded remit to transfer cultural fire decision-making and application into Traditional Owners’ hands.
The Federation manages our own forum for CEOs of all 12 formally recognised Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations – on self-determined topics independent from governments’ priorities or resourcing. The CEO Forum provides a space for deep reflection, strategic collaboration, and knowledge-sharing between Traditional Owner Corporations. Held every two months, the CEO Forum regularly features guest speakers, to connect Traditional Owners with industry experts, funders, decision-makers and each other, and provide a way for groups to collaborate effectively on emerging statewide issues.
