Juliana ADDISON (Wendouree) (20:59): I proudly stand alongside my Labor parliamentary colleagues in supporting the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 in this place today on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people. I pay my respects to their elders past and present, and I extend that to all First Nations people across Victoria who have been in the Parliament today.

It is very important for me to pay my respects to the traditional owners of the land. I have the great honour of representing in this Parliament the Wadawurrung people. Wadawurrung country stretches from the great divide to the coast. It is located between the Werribee River in the east and Aireys Inlet in the west, including my home of Ballarat, as well as Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula. I wish to acknowledge Uncle Bryon Powell. Uncle Bryon is the reserved seat holder representing the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation on the First Peoples’ Assembly. I thank him for his leadership, being in the Parliament today and being a voice of Wadawurrung people in this process.

I also, importantly, want to recognise the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative and the Ballarat Aboriginal community, many of whom were forcibly moved from their country during the stolen generations and brought to Ballarat. They chose to stay and make Ballarat their home, and together they have created a thriving community organisation to benefit all Aboriginal people living in and around Ballarat. I want to thank CEO Karen Heap, COO Shu Brown and BADAC for the outstanding role it plays in providing culturally safe health, social welfare and community development services to Aboriginal people in my region.

The very foundations of our state and our nation are based on the injustice and the falsehood of terra nullius. Translated from Latin, meaning ‘land belonging to no-one’, it was this doctrine that was used to claim sovereignty over Victoria without treaties or compensation to traditional owners of the land who had lived and cared for country for tens of thousands of years. Dr Martin Luther King Jr wrote, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ Today is a historic day for Victoria where we address injustice in our state. The Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 is not just legislation, it is a commitment ‍– a commitment to truth, to justice and to healing. I strongly believe that treaty is not just for First Peoples; it is for all Victorians. It is an opportunity to acknowledge our past, confront our truths and walk forward together.

I am deeply disappointed that the Liberal and National MPs are opposing this bill. They will be remembered for being on the wrong side of history. Treaty is a path forward. It is not about division, it is about unity, justice and reconciliation and the power of truth-telling. As my friend Nikki Foy, a proud Gunditjmara woman who lives in my community, reminded me, treaty does not take anything away from non-Aboriginal people; rather, it is a mutual agreement that respects the rights and interests of all.

I want to acknowledge the work of Aunty Jill Gallagher, Ngarra Murray, Rueben Berg, Marcus Stewart, Geraldine Atkinson and the members of the First Peoples’ Assembly and community. I want to recognise the Premier, the Minister for Treaty and First Peoples and former ministers Jennings and Williams, as well as the member for Geelong and Sheena Watt for their unwavering commitment to treaty. This journey has not been easy. It has taken decades of advocacy, of protest, of resilience and of course of hope, but also disillusionment and disappointment. Today we stand together to honour that journey. We honour those who walked before us, and we commit to walking alongside First Peoples into a future that is fairer, stronger and more just.

When my children ask me what I did at Parliament this week, I am going to proudly share with them that I supported the historic Statewide Treaty Bill – the first in our nation. In the future when my grandchildren ask me what I did when I was an MP I will tell them that I supported self-determination, truth-telling and improved outcomes for Victoria’s First People. I proudly support the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 as someone who believes in the power of truth, justice and reconciliation. I commend the bill to the house.

You can take a look at more of my contributions to Parliament here.