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Vic government working on ongoing Indigenous representative body
ABC NEWS (Australia)
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The Victorian Government says it's working on how the First Peoples' Assembly can become an ongoing representative body to advise on certain government decisions
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00:00
This builds on a lot of work that's been happening across many years now, and we're
00:06
looking to make the Assembly a more permanent fixture within the State of Victoria, and
00:10
ensure that it's got the ability to do things that get better outcomes for First Peoples.
00:14
OK, so how far would these powers go, correct me if I'm wrong, but is it my understanding
00:18
the Assembly wouldn't have, for example, veto powers on policy and legislation, would it?
00:24
That's correct.
00:25
There's no power of veto being proposed.
00:27
The idea is that when the Government is considering things that will directly affect First Peoples,
00:32
that there's an opportunity for First Peoples voices to be heard on those conversations.
00:36
The proposal is that the Assembly would be a statutory corporation within Victoria's existing
00:43
parliamentary and democratic structures.
00:45
I'm just wondering, are you confident that you will still have that crucial independence
00:49
that the Assembly needs?
00:51
Yeah, it's a key component to make sure that we do maintain that independence.
00:55
All the members of this future Assembly are going to be elected by First Peoples here in
00:59
this State.
01:00
It gives you a direct line to ministers, Ruben.
01:04
And I just want to ask you about that, because you'd have the authority under this legislation
01:08
to, you know, to put questions to them, to question them.
01:11
So, let's say this happens.
01:13
What would be the first priority for the Assembly if this becomes law?
01:17
I think we've just seen the finalisation of the Yurok processes, and there's many things
01:22
that have been identified through that that I think require urgent attention, and that's
01:26
the sorts of things we'll draw from in terms of making that representation to government.
01:30
Could you give me an example of what one of those priorities might be?
01:33
There's really key priorities around education, of making sure that there's greater education
01:38
opportunities for all Victorians to better understand the issues of colonisation for First
01:43
Peoples.
01:43
We also want to see significant reforms in the justice area.
01:47
The Assembly, as we've been discussing five years ago, was really established as the representative
01:51
body for First Nations people in Victoria, and particularly in the treaty process.
01:57
And I just want to ask you about that.
01:59
Can you tell us about that treaty process and how it's progressing in Victoria?
02:03
Yeah, the treaty process builds on significant work for over a decade now.
02:07
We've had the First Peoples Assembly in place for the last five years, and over that
02:11
time we've put in place various different frameworks to support the treaty making journey.
02:15
And as of November last year, we've started formal negotiations.
02:19
And it's always been very clear that one of the aspirations of this process was an enhanced
02:23
representative body that could actually represent First Peoples with government.
02:27
Is it correct, Ruben, that the changes being negotiated here, that actually give the Assembly powers,
02:33
you know, well beyond those that were proposed for the voice to parliament?
02:38
Well, they are different to the powers that were proposed for the voice and through that
02:42
referendum.
02:43
And I think what's always important to recognise is that that referendum was about a national
02:47
issue to do with constitutional change and about installing an untested model.
02:52
And that's essentially the opposite of what we're doing here in Victoria.
02:54
And with respect, I have to ask, because as we know, the voice to parliament was rejected
02:59
by the majority of Victorians and also Australians in the referendum.
03:03
The Victorian Liberal Party seems to have expressed opposition to this legislation as well.
03:09
With respect, are you confident the majority of Victorians will be on board with this move
03:15
and support it?
03:16
Is the sentiment there from the public?
03:19
I believe so.
03:20
And as I said, the referendum was about changing the Australian constitution to put in place
03:25
an untested model.
03:26
That's very, very different from what we're planning to do here in Victoria.
03:29
What about the Indigenous community more broadly?
03:31
Because reading about this this week, I saw a report quoting a First Nations elder, and I
03:36
just want to read this out, saying they are negotiating themselves a deal and no one else.
03:41
What's in it for me?
03:42
That's, of course, one person.
03:44
But once again, with respect, what would you say to an Indigenous person if they came up
03:48
and said, look, what's with this assembly?
03:50
What's in it for me?
03:51
How is it going to change life for me?
03:54
Yeah, I think it's really important for everybody, not just the First Peoples community, but the
03:58
entire Victorian community, to be able to look through the Yuruk reports and look through
04:02
the full impact of colonisation on First Peoples and to recognise that that was the result
04:06
of 200 years of impact for First Peoples.
04:09
And you don't just turn that around overnight.
04:11
So we're looking at systemic change, not quick fix change, to actually make sure we've got
04:15
the processes in place to deliver better outcomes for generations to come.
04:19
Ruben, thank you very much for joining us.
04:21
Appreciate your time.
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