00:00 Systemic change is something that's often bandied around as an unrealistic or unachievable
00:06 solution, but today here it feels like a genuine prospect and I'm surrounded by 32, at least
00:13 32 people, the members of the new iteration of the First Peoples Assembly who don't just
00:19 believe that that system can change here in Victoria, but have put their hands up to do
00:24 something about it, to change that system.
00:26 So today is the first meeting of that new First Peoples Assembly.
00:30 It's about to take place at Parliament and they were elected by Aboriginal and Torres
00:34 Strait Islander people across Victoria in five different regions and I'm joined here
00:39 today by Jaron Murray-Jackson who is the reserve seat member for Dja Dja Wurrung.
00:45 How would you describe the mood here today among you and the other members?
00:48 I can feel the excitement in the air and everyone's keen to get to work.
00:52 We've got a deadly bunch of people who have been elected this time around so it's going
00:56 to be good over the next few years.
00:59 Those treaty negotiations are going to be happening around the same time as the voice
01:03 referendum and obviously discussions around that are ongoing.
01:06 How do you see that interacting with the treaty here in Victoria?
01:09 One of the principles of the voice is that they have to respect existing structures,
01:12 so that's us, so they're going to have to come through us when they do come to Victoria,
01:16 which will be great to see.
01:17 The voice is only going to be a good thing for Victoria and us in the treaty process
01:21 and it'll be good for the rest of the states who don't have an assembly like we do in Victoria.
01:25 We're very lucky here.
01:27 Is there anything specifically that you're looking to get out of the treaty that you'll
01:31 be advocating for in parliament?
01:34 Definitely some justice reform, housing, how do we support mobs in terms of their health
01:38 and closing the gap and all things like that.
01:42 And do you have a sense of what those negotiations are actually going to look like when you go
01:45 head to head with government?
01:46 We're probably looking at about six or twelve months before we even start negotiating.
01:50 We still have to wait for some of the foundations to be set up like the treaty authority and
01:53 other things, but once they do, we'll be sitting across the table from government and negotiating
01:59 a transfer of power from them and hopefully it'll put us in a driver's seat for our own
02:04 affairs.
02:05 And all the members are about to go into parliament and make their first speeches.
02:08 They're just finishing up with the smoking ceremony behind me.
02:11 They'll then elect two co-chairs who will lead the talks that are expected to start
02:15 later this year.
02:16 And I know that Jaron is about to give his inaugural speech, so I'll let him go prepare,
02:21 but a really historic moment here in Victoria today.
02:24 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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