Historic agreement: Australian-first treaty with Indigenous people

Australian Community Media

Victoria is the first jurisdiction to introduce treaty legislation to parliament, paving the way for a formal agreement between the state's Indigenous people and the state government. Video via AAP

Transcript

00:00Families are better off when they have a say, when they have control and

00:04responsibility over their lives, and Aboriginal families are no different. And

00:09I'm proud today to be introducing into the Victorian Parliament the Statewide

00:13Treaty Bill. It puts into law the changes that will give Aboriginal people a say

00:19in how services and programs that are for Aboriginal Victorians are run. None of

00:25these changes are about taking anything away from anyone. It's simply about

00:30improving services, improving the lives for Aboriginal Victorians.

00:34Treaty offers us the chance to reshape the story of this country. Treaty will

00:39build a future based on respect, truth and shared responsibility where First

00:44People's culture, knowledge and authority are not just acknowledged but are

00:48central to how we govern, care for country and make decisions together. Treaty

00:53recognises that Aboriginal people are the experts on our own lives and

00:58communities, cultures and our countries and it's an opportunity to make sure we

01:03can use our local knowledge to come up with and deliver practical solutions at a

01:07community level. Together Victorians will make history with the signing of the

01:13very first treaty in Australia. This moment belongs to all of us.

01:17Australia is the only Commonwealth country in the world that doesn't have a treaty

01:20with its First Peoples and today we take a key next step to address that. This

01:26will reset the relationship between First Peoples and government. This will

01:31create a body that will enact real practical change for First Peoples in our

01:36state.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended