Listening to First Peoples – Ministerial Response
Scroll down for the Minister’s response, or click here to discover more about how we’re working for Wendouree.
Original constituency question from Juliana Addison MP to Parliament –
My constituency question is for the Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, and I am glad she is in the house. Minister, how is our government listening to Aboriginal Victorians and enacting what they need to determine their own future?
The Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-op, known as BADAC, does outstanding work. Under the leadership of CEO Karen Heap AM, the organisation is going from strength to strength, delivering health, social and community development programs. I am pleased that the Andrews Labor government has listened to BADAC and supported their projects, including the Perridak art gallery, which is strengthening storytelling and the arts in our region; Yirram Burron kindergarten and long day care centre in Sebastopol, which is providing quality education and care, with an emphasis on culture and community; and most recently the elders independent living community for local Aboriginal elders in central Ballarat, which is currently under construction.
I really look forward to the minister’s response, and I thank BADAC for the great work they do in my community.
Response from the Hon. Gabrielle Williams MP, Minister for Treaty and First Peoples (6 September 2023) –
I commend Karen Heap, CEO and her excellent team at the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BADAC) for their hard work and commitment in providing critical care services to the Aboriginal community of Ballarat and surrounding areas.
The Victorian Government is pleased to have awarded funding to BADAC to enable the completion of important projects that will provide meaningful outcomes to Community, through access to culturally appropriate early childhood education, art, and secure housing for Elders.
Victoria is the first jurisdiction in the nation to action Voice, Treaty and Truth – the three elements of the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Victorian Government is at an exciting phase of the Treaty process with formal Treaty negotiations set to commence in late 2023.
The Victorian Government has committed to negotiating Statewide and Traditional Owner Treaties with First Peoples over broad subject matter in accordance with the Treaty Negotiation Framework agreed with the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria (Assembly) in 2022. The Assembly is the independently and democratically elected representative body for First Peoples and Traditional Owners in Victoria. The Assembly recently undertook elections to select new members for this term.
In Victoria, there will be one overarching Statewide Treaty and multiple local Treaties with individual Traditional Owner groups, covering matters as diverse as political representation, land and water, and economic development. Victoria’s Treaties will be negotiated in line with the Treaty Negotiation Framework and be shaped by history, and the social and political context of our State and the aspirations of First Peoples.