Treaty is a chance for all Victorians to recognise what happened in our past, heal from it, and move forward together.

The Treaty bill would make the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria a permanent organisation.

The Treaty bill would give the Assembly new responsibilities to:

• Make decisions about issues that directly affect First Nations people.

• Create an independent system to make sure governments keep their promises to Close the Gap.

• Be consulted when governments make laws or policies that affect First Nations people.

• Support ongoing truth-telling and healing in Victorian towns and regions, collect stories and creating records to help educate the public.

• Fill specific First Nations positions that are set aside by law, like appointments to the Heritage Council of Victoria.

• Run programmes like the Aboriginal Community Infrastructure Fund, Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll and NAIDOC Week.

• Create a First Peoples’ Institute to develop leadership skills in the community.

The Assembly is made up of Indigenous representatives elected by their communities. Members are elected by their communities to speak up for their rights, ideas and priorities on the journey to Treaty.

With profound respect for the sovereignty, culture, and rights of First Peoples, we are pleased to support a Treaty. 

Australia is home to the oldest continuous culture on Earth. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have been caring for Country for a millennia and flourished on land and sea Country for generations before European colonisation.

We recognise the historical and ongoing destruction of nature across Victoria and Australia. The impact this has had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ connection to Country is unacceptable. To create a liveable, equitable world, there must be a structural change to how government and communities approach policies that effect nature and First Nations connection to Country.

We, the Victorian National Parks Association are proud to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of all the lands where we do our nature conservation and community engagement work across Victoria. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and remember that sovereignty was never ceded. We recognise that First Nations cultural and natural heritage are indivisible, with Traditional Owners' cultural practices and nature stewardship forming an integrated knowledge system.

With profound respect for the sovereignty, culture, and rights of First Peoples, we are pleased to announce that we will walk with the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria on the journey to Treaty.

We recognise that when it comes to First Peoples communities, cultures and lands, the experts are First Peoples.

The past can’t be changed, but we can choose to take steps today that will help heal the ongoing pain caused by the injustices of yesterday.
We are firmly committed to righting the wrongs of the past and being an active part of creating a better future together. We will:

• Deepen our commitment to Treaty with ongoing education for staff and community that centres First Nations perspectives on Treaty negotiations, sovereignty, and self-determination, building genuine cultural competency rather than surface-level awareness.

• Establish and sustain collaborative partnerships that recognise First Nations sovereignty over Country, supporting and respecting Traditional Owner-led land and sea management and conservation practices.

• Continue our commitment to learning and communicating about First Nations knowledge systems, integrating Traditional Owner names for Country, seasons, plants, and animals into our storytelling and educational practices.

By making this pledge, we affirm our commitment to the self-determination of First Peoples in Victoria as they assert their rights, tell their truths, and chart a path towards, and healing through, Treaty-making. We wholeheartedly demonstrate our commitment to reconciliation, social justice, and the fundamental role First Nations knowledge has in nature stewardship.

Our vision is a Victoria with a natural web of life that is protected, respected and enjoyed by all. To fulfil this vision, we need improved and respectful systems for listening to and understanding First Nation communities and their connection to Country.

Together, we can create a future where First Peoples’ voices are heard, rights are respected, and justice is realised for generations been and those to come.

VNPA campaign and program staff regularly work with Traditional Owner corporations on a wide range of issues of joint concern and interest. 

VNPA's Nature Stewards program works together in classes and time on Country with Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, Living Culture, Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, as well as other First Nations organisations.  

In 2025, VNPA was proud to sponsor a First Nations woman, Electra Greene, to participate in the WELA National Leadership Program this year. 

VNPA acknowledges the many First Peoples of the area now known as Victoria, honours their continuing connection to and caring for Country, and supports Traditional Owner joint-management of parks and public land for conservation of natural and cultural heritage. 

Victoria has cleared and settled on more of its original forests, grasslands and wetlands than any other Australian state. It’s hard to comprehend and yet it could not be more important to try.

The process of colonisation forever altered Victoria’s landscapes. Depending on whose Country you stand, in some places, only 10 per cent of the original remains. Today nature is still under extreme pressure.

Dense rainforests and woodlands undone by axe and tractor. Vast wildflower grasslands crushed under hoof and factory. Rivers redirected and lakes polluted, swamps and alpine bogs drained and dried. Native birds, animals and plants pushed into tinier, isolated patches. And it’s our decisions that are causing the trouble. From climate disruption, fire patterns, invasive species and illegal removal or destruction of wildlife and their homes.

Victoria’s native grasslands once covered a third of the state and were cared for by Traditional Custodians. They were essential food bowls for First Nations communities. Wallaby grass seeds made excellent bread, leaves and stems were used for fishing and hunting nets. Strategic fire encouraged edible ground-level plants that attracted grass-eating animals like kangaroos – an important protein source. It only took 200 years to destroy what was cared for by Victoria’s First Peoples for over millennia. Today one per cent of our wildflower meadows survive.

First Nations people have never surrendered their rights to Country. Treaty will strengthen Victoria by:

• Recognising First Peoples’ rights and long-standing connection to Country
• Sharing decision-making, for example when it comes to caring for land and water
• Creating a more inclusive future, where everyone’s history and culture is valued

It’s a chance for healing, of people, communities and Country. When First Peoples have the power to speak for and care for their lands, everyone benefits.

For non-Aboriginal people, Treaty is about acknowledging the past, listening deeply, and helping build a more honest and fair relationship with the First Peoples of this land.

The journey to Treaty must be led by First Peoples – but it’s a journey we can walk together. There are many ways to show your support.

Get involved

Sign up for Team Treaty to stay connected and informed.

Follow and share First Peoples’ Assembly updates on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

Grab some merch to show your support and spark conversations.

Attend a Treaty event – there are gatherings across Victoria for both mob and allies.

If you’re mob, the most important thing you can do is enrol with the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.

Part of a non-Aboriginal organisation, union, or community group? Join the Friends of Treaty and formalise your support.