Set to stand as a voice for indigenous people throughout the Treaty process, the assembly will consist of 33 seats, 21 of which will be determined by a voting system undertaken by indigenous Victorians.
Our region, known as the North East region, has three seats designated with nine candidates up for election.
The News will be interviewing these individuals to hear their story and learn more about their motivations for joining the assembly.
Ashlea Witoslawski reports.
Location: Gippsland
Occupation: Artist
Indigenous heritage: Yowung-Illam-Baluk and Yerrun-Illam-Baluk clans of the Taungurung people.
Before colonisation my mob came from Taungurung country. This includes about 15 clans. Although I have not lived on my own country, I would like to one day. I could have run in Gippsland but I decided to run where I come from. I had a long career in cultural heritage and I worked throughout the area for 15 years. I know the area well, I get back there often and I do a lot of things on country. I know a lot of the key players and I know a lot about the population and how scattered we all are.
What inspired you to become a candidate?
I was chair of the Aboriginal Treaty working group for the first two-and-a-half years. I have participated since the first talks and have been a part of it the whole way along. Our working group developed what we've got today so I feel like I haven't finished with the business and I'm really interested in continuing the conversation and the work. I'm passionate and I'm vocal about it. I think that the most important thing for a successful candidate is that they continue to have conversations with the community and keep finding out what it is people want in the framework. I want to talk to people that don't agree, which is their right, and find out the reason why. It is as much about that as it is sovereignty.
What changes/ improvements would you like to see for indigenous people in the North East district?
There are a couple of things but one of the most important changes is language. If we're able to have robust, comprehensive language programs, we can help our community to have strong and articulate language speakers throughout that will help the general population to understand a language other than English. All the LOTE taught in schools is mostly European or Asian languages, and whilst that is a great thing, I think it would be really nice for people to know where they come from to understand the culture. Land is also important, we need to genuinely own parts of the landscape, not just have native title. We need to own the land with a new form of land tenure. I'm interested to see what the conversation looks like. We also need improvements with social justice issues. In closing the gap, I think culture is the biggest thing for that. We need to look into individual treaties for different language groups and tribes.
Why is Treaty important for you?
It's unfinished business. Some people say this land was settled, some people say colonised, but it was more like theft. There are properly recorded accounts which show how the authorities took hold of the land. We are the only country that does not have a treaty with its First Nations people. This borders on abhorrent. It's the whole idea of a fair go, and the reality is that's only working for certain racial groups at the moment. This Closing the Gap thing is getting worse and the whole idea of a fair go probably doesn't cut it. I quite often say to people, when non-indigenous people came here we owned 100 per cent of the country and now we've got next to nothing. We need have have some more control over our lives and our community.
Why would you be a good representative for the district?
I'm a strategic thinker and I know I have some skills in this because I was on the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council for 11 years and the native title board for 13 years, where I have served as chair or deputy chair for each. I've also been involved in countless committees inside government and I've just put my hand up for catchment management authority boards in the area. I'm really interested in how Aboriginal people can work in that space and have our perspectives on the table. It's one thing to sit on the outside, it's another to sit on the inside and work at changing perspectives and policies. It's important to include us in the dialogue and include us in what we should be involved in. Whatever people tell me, I'll be putting that on the table and I think that's the most important thing.
READ MORE ABOUT THE VICTORIAN TREATY PROCESS:
Call to support treaty talks
Victorian Treaty Advancement continues with visit to Shepparton
Victorian Treaty Advancement Commissioner Jill Gallagher visits Shepparton
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