Speaker 1: A warning for Abergin Ontario Straight Islander listeners. The following
Speaker 1: episode contains voices of deceased First Nations people.
Speaker 2: It may be that this county had become the most
Speaker 2: valuable acquisition Written has ever made.
Speaker 3: It's been a long call for treaty and truth telling,
Speaker 3: especially here in Victoria.
Speaker 2: And with the preperation of everyone here assemble to render
Speaker 2: this settlement advantageous and honorable to our homeland written.
Speaker 3: The fight really did start with the ancestors and the
Speaker 3: current deputation to the Parliament.
Speaker 4: My grandfather was part of that.
Speaker 3: It went all the way through to the day a
Speaker 3: morning where my grandfather, SADG. Nichols, was marching in the
Speaker 3: streets of Sydney.
Speaker 5: And I want to suggest three things why you should
Speaker 5: bother about the Aborigines. Firstly, we belong to a great
Speaker 5: family of God and he had made out of one
Speaker 5: blood all nations of men.
Speaker 4: And then the nineteen sixty seven referendum.
Speaker 6: We want to become a part of it our country
Speaker 6: with becoming referendum.
Speaker 1: This should give us some power if we get yes.
Speaker 3: My grandfather Short Murray, he wrote a letter to the
Speaker 3: Premiere in nineteen eighty eight calling for treaty and compensation.
Speaker 3: So we carry that legacy that's in our blood. You
Speaker 3: can't escape it, but we can make sure that treaties
Speaker 3: will be in our future and that will change our
Speaker 3: future and our kids to come.
Speaker 7: From sports media, I'm Daniel James. This is seven AM.
Speaker 7: Change in the First Nation's affairs is often glacial in
Speaker 7: its pace, and in the aftermath of the resounding defeat
Speaker 7: of last year's referendum on the Voice to Parliament, political
Speaker 7: will for progress is scarce, with some states walking away
Speaker 7: from their planned treaty processes trying to capitalize on the
Speaker 7: referendum result. But in Victoria things are different, with truth
Speaker 7: telling already underway and he said to be negotiated this
Speaker 7: year for the first time ever in the history of Australia.
Speaker 7: The process is being led by the First People's Assembly
Speaker 7: of Victoria and elected by the representing Victoria's traditional owners
Speaker 7: and all the abergin Ontari Australia and the people living
Speaker 7: in the state.
Speaker 1: Today. Co Chair of the First People's Assembly of Victoria
Speaker 1: and Gara Murray on how they reached this point and
Speaker 1: how the process of truth and treaty in Victoria can
Speaker 1: be instructive for the rest of the country. It's Monday,
Speaker 1: August twenty sixth in Ghara. After decades of calling for
Speaker 1: treaties from First People's in Victoria, now the First People's
Speaker 1: Assembly of Victoria is at the point where negotiations on
Speaker 1: treaties are formally commencing. So can you tell me about
Speaker 1: the Assembly and what's taken to get to this point.
Speaker 4: Yeah, So we are independent.
Speaker 3: We are a democratically elected body, got really our law
Speaker 3: and cultural authority out the core of who we are
Speaker 3: and the way we govern.
Speaker 8: This meeting today signifies our intention to reclaim our rightful
Speaker 8: position as protectors of country and disrupt the current dominant structures.
Speaker 4: We're a big mob.
Speaker 3: So when we roll who kind of rolled together and
Speaker 3: we're thirty three members now we were thirty two. We've
Speaker 3: got an extra seat on for the Wambawamba people, so
Speaker 3: we're thirty three members. We have four Assembly chambers a year,
Speaker 3: so we're out in the communities. We're heading up to
Speaker 3: Swan Hill for our next chamber and we've worked really
Speaker 3: hard to build consensus and collective support across our communities.
Speaker 8: We will not be rushed. We have survived. We will
Speaker 8: never be assimilated. We need genocide to end, sovereignty acknowledged,
Speaker 8: and treaties to be made and.
Speaker 4: Main objective is to negotiate the statewide treaty. So we've
Speaker 4: got two.
Speaker 3: Pieces of law in this state that binds us to
Speaker 3: treaty making with the state, and there's been a number
Speaker 3: of steps to get to this point.
Speaker 9: History has been made in Victoria with the state's Indigenous
Speaker 9: representative body formally declaring it's ready to begin negotiations with
Speaker 9: the government on a statewide treaty.
Speaker 3: So we will commence treaty negotiations around November. It's an
Speaker 3: exciting time for first people's in Victoria. It's a big
Speaker 3: job and it's a big responsibility and something that we
Speaker 3: take seriously. But we also carry that burden as well.
Speaker 4: And you know, we.
Speaker 3: Feel the gravity of our mob because it is something
Speaker 3: that we have never done before.
Speaker 1: And when we ask for treaty, what do we mean
Speaker 1: by that in practical terms? What are some of the
Speaker 1: practical outcomes we're looking for when it comes to treaty
Speaker 1: with the crown through the state government.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think firstly, you know, what we're calling for
Speaker 3: through treaty is around the recognition and respect that as
Speaker 3: the first, people's obvious land that we're calling for around
Speaker 3: our sovereignty, our inherent rights responsibilities that have never been seeded.
Speaker 3: So I think that is a fundamental piece to our
Speaker 3: identity and our place in this nation. Secondly, I think
Speaker 3: that a key component of treaties, in particular with the
Speaker 3: local true showners, must address land rights, and restoring and
Speaker 3: protecting their lands will be crucial. This includes returning of lands,
Speaker 3: ensuring we've got access to country sites are protected. So
Speaker 3: I definitely think that it must involve fair management and
Speaker 3: benefit sharing of natural resources, but also to culture and languages.
Speaker 4: That's really the lifeblood.
Speaker 3: Of our identity, so there's got to be investment in that,
Speaker 3: and it should also support I think, educational programs that
Speaker 3: teach our histories, not only just within our own communities
Speaker 3: but across the country. So there's a number of things.
Speaker 3: There's many things that people have and obviously there'll be
Speaker 3: many treaties. There'll be a statewide treaty that will cover
Speaker 3: statewide matters in regards to health, housing, education, justice, and
Speaker 3: there'll be local treaties which will probably delve more into
Speaker 3: land and water rights, self determination and what that really
Speaker 3: means in practice. So we're still considering everybody's input across
Speaker 3: our communities and hearing from our mob about what they
Speaker 3: want to see in treaties. So it's important that they're
Speaker 3: part of every step as we go along towards treaties.
Speaker 1: You started out this process with bipartisan support in Victoria,
Speaker 1: but at the beginning of the year John Pursudo, the
Speaker 1: leader of the Opposition, and his coalition partner Peter Walsh,
Speaker 1: leader of the Nationals, walked away from their support for treaty.
Speaker 10: I can understand why people see the appeal of treaty,
Speaker 10: but unless you can deliver better education, better justice, better
Speaker 10: child protection outcomes for Indigenous people, it doesn't matter what
Speaker 10: document you might sign.
Speaker 1: Despite giving the First People's Assembly assurances as late as
Speaker 1: December of last year, the decision to pull their support
Speaker 1: came on the back of the referendum result an outcome.
Speaker 1: We're sure a swaths of leaders on the every side
Speaker 1: of politics walk away from their support for Truth and
Speaker 1: Treaty across the country, seeking to capitalize on the public mood.
Speaker 1: How did it feel when they made that announcement.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it was disappointing.
Speaker 3: I think at the time like we just had to
Speaker 3: keep moving because there's so much work that's been put
Speaker 3: into it, and we'll always have our door open. We're
Speaker 3: still meet with all sides of politics, and I think,
Speaker 3: you know, at the federal level there's been discussions too
Speaker 3: around what's next, and I think the federal government, after
Speaker 3: spending so much political capital on the Voice a referendum,
Speaker 3: it seems, are not really willing to spend anymore and
Speaker 3: they're obviously, you know, reassessing their approach.
Speaker 4: And their commitment to the Lary's statement from the heart.
Speaker 3: But what gives me confidence is that there are state
Speaker 3: and territory and initiatives that are happening across the country.
Speaker 3: So you've got states like Queensland, they've now got their
Speaker 3: treaty and truth telling process in place. South Australian mob
Speaker 3: got the Voice. So it can be really disheartened by
Speaker 3: some of these politicians.
Speaker 4: But at the end of the day, we're always going
Speaker 4: to be here.
Speaker 3: I'll always fight for what is right, and I'll always
Speaker 3: fight for justice for our people and long overdue recognition
Speaker 3: and respect that we really seek through.
Speaker 1: Treaty coming up. We've all heard of it, but what
Speaker 1: is truth telling?
Speaker 11: Beginning with a smoking ceremony? The eurok Justice Commission launched
Speaker 11: its landmark report calling for an overhaul of Victoria's criminal
Speaker 11: justice and child protection systems, which it found have failed.
Speaker 1: First, Peoples and Gara, I want to talk to you
Speaker 1: about the eurok Justice Commission and its importance as a
Speaker 1: truth telling body in the treaty process. It's historically significant
Speaker 1: and it's based in Victoria. Can you tell us a
Speaker 1: bit about its connection to your own creaty negotiations.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's so important. Like when we talked about the
Speaker 3: truth telling in the first term of the Assembly, it
Speaker 3: was something that we felt, I'm really passionate about because
Speaker 3: we can't have treaties, you know, without the truth. And
Speaker 3: then out of our conversations and through our chamber came
Speaker 3: the idea of a truth telling commission, which isn't something new,
Speaker 3: it's something that's been called upon for a long time.
Speaker 3: When it has happened obviously in other countries.
Speaker 6: Canada has been awakened the words of a residential school
Speaker 6: survivor today, as the final report of the Truth and
Speaker 6: Reconciliation Commission was submitted.
Speaker 12: It has been twenty eight years since the Truth and
Speaker 12: Reconciliation Commission was formed. Now the objective of the Commission
Speaker 12: was to promote reconciliation and forgiveness among perpetrators and victims
Speaker 12: of a party who suffered groups.
Speaker 3: So activating the europe Justice Commission was really important to
Speaker 3: us to undertake that process.
Speaker 11: Established in twenty twenty one, the Urok Justice Commission is
Speaker 11: Victoria's unique truth telling process.
Speaker 13: It's the nation's first truth telling forum, which, along with
Speaker 13: Voice and Treaty, is one of the pillars of the
Speaker 13: Uluru Statement from the heart.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so it has the powers of a royal commission too.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it has those coersive powers and obviously appointed with
Speaker 3: Aboriginal commissioners where they've been able to have that coercive
Speaker 3: power to you know, get premiers and ministers on the
Speaker 3: witness stand.
Speaker 11: Premier just In to Allen today told the Commission she
Speaker 11: believed there'd been systemic attempts to erase Victoria's Aboriginal history.
Speaker 3: Growing up and living as I have all my life
Speaker 3: in Central Victoria on Jojo Run Country, I did not
Speaker 3: know about.
Speaker 4: The massacres that occurred so close to home.
Speaker 3: And also exposing some of the atrocities in justices of
Speaker 3: our people that we've always known. A Daniel like we
Speaker 3: know our history, but the wider mainstream public they haven't
Speaker 3: always understood who we are and why we need you know, treaty,
Speaker 3: why we need truth telling, and why we need to
Speaker 3: have a voice. So they're in their last kind of hearings.
Speaker 3: They've held inquiries into whether it's kind of you know,
Speaker 3: landing justice, social injustice, they've done the criminal justice system,
Speaker 3: child protection system, and now they're at the kind of
Speaker 3: end of the hearings where they'll go away and write
Speaker 3: the report and the recommendations.
Speaker 13: The commissions calling for changes to a range of legislation,
Speaker 13: including new bail laws that go beyond the state's recent
Speaker 13: proposed reforms, a new independent police oversight body to stop
Speaker 13: the force investigating all but the most minor complaints about
Speaker 13: its own officers, an increase of the minimum age of
Speaker 13: criminal responsibility to fourteen years, and no detention for children
Speaker 13: under sixteen.
Speaker 3: So those recommendations will really, you know, shape some of
Speaker 3: our treaty proposals. So yeah, I think rookstun are really
Speaker 3: deadly job, and it won't.
Speaker 4: Finish just there eve at the report.
Speaker 3: We want to look up to how we can continue
Speaker 3: to tell their truths. Maybe that's something that we'll ask
Speaker 3: in the state wide treaty to how we can do that.
Speaker 1: Gar Do you think that the process of developing a
Speaker 1: negotiating treaty is is culturally affirming and empowering as the
Speaker 1: outcome itself in some ways.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Like we've had to develop guiding principles around the
Speaker 3: cultural elements of it because we didn't want it to
Speaker 3: be this foreign process. We are trying to decolonize and
Speaker 3: deconstruct the way that we take part in formal structures.
Speaker 3: So our treaty negotiation framework itself is a really solid document.
Speaker 3: It's embedded, like I said, with our law cultural authority,
Speaker 3: So there's some really important principles and values that we
Speaker 3: bring to the space, and I think the government have
Speaker 3: had a lot to learn around the way that we
Speaker 3: do our business. But I think that it's exciting times
Speaker 3: for us to be able to bring in those knowledges
Speaker 3: and that respected around our cultural values and principles. So
Speaker 3: it's exciting times, nerve wracking, but exciting times as well for.
Speaker 1: Our bom Gara. Thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 4: Thank you, Daniel.
Speaker 1: Also in the news today, the Country Liberal Party has
Speaker 1: won the Northern Territory election in a landslide victory. It's
Speaker 1: a huge turnaround for the party after an electoral wipeout
Speaker 1: in twenty sixteen left them with just two seats. Incoming
Speaker 1: Chief Minister Lea Finiciio ran on a promise to crack
Speaker 1: down on crime. In their acceptance speech, she sees she
Speaker 1: would be meeting with the Police Commissioner immediately. Miss Finishiera
Speaker 1: also vowed to lower the age of criminal responsibility to
Speaker 1: ten during her first week of parliament, and a new
Speaker 1: report on how to best prevent violence against women and
Speaker 1: children has called for a total band on gambling advertising.
Speaker 1: The Wrapper Review was commissioned by the federal government in
Speaker 1: May after advocates criticized the lack of new funding for
Speaker 1: frontline services in the budget. The review also recommends a
Speaker 1: focus on specialist services for children and young people, and
Speaker 1: more work to be done on the promotion of healthy
Speaker 1: masculinities to counter the growing influence of online misogyny. We'll
Speaker 1: have more detail on seven am tomorrow. I'm Daniel James.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening.