Victoria govt, assembly meet over treaty
The Victorian government and the First Peoples' Assembly will hold their first official meeting, marking a historic step towards the creation of treaty in the state.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Gabrielle Williams will meet with Assembly co-chairs Geraldine Atkinson and Marcus Stewart on Monday to formally start treaty negotiations.
The meeting, which will be held over video conference due to COVID-19 restrictions, will set a timeline for negotiations and establish protocols and processes.
"This is an important milestone for our state and represents the next step forward on this historic path to Treaty - a treaty that will not only benefit Aboriginal Victorians, but all Victorians," Ms Williams said in a statement.
"We're determined to find a new way forward with our First Peoples, forging a new, shared future for us all."
The First Peoples' Assembly started creation of a negotiation framework last year.
Community consultation sessions, the board's monthly meetings and committee meetings have been done online for the last seven months.
Last month, the assembly announced Australia's first truth-telling process to formally recognise historic wrongs and address ongoing injustices for Aboriginal Victorians.
"We hope that this day will be looked back on as the starting point in our history when Aboriginal Victorians and the state government began to work towards greater reconciliation and a stronger future," Ms Atkinson said.
