First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria inaugural meeting

10 December 2019

On this day, the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria began its inaugural meeting in the Legislative Council chamber of the Victorian Parliament. The meeting ran across 10 and 11 December 2019. This anniversary marks its opening day and an important stage in the work towards Treaty in Victoria.

A representative body begins its work

The Assembly followed elections in 2019 and brought together members through general and reserved seats. It was formally declared the Aboriginal Representative Body on 9 December, immediately before its first meeting.

During the inaugural gathering, members delivered speeches and elected their executive and co-chairs. The meeting was livestreamed, allowing people beyond the chamber to follow this beginning. These details help explain the occasion as the start of a representative body’s practical work, not simply a ceremonial appearance in Parliament.

What the anniversary represents

The meeting was a milestone in building a process through which Aboriginal people could help shape the path towards Treaty. It was not itself the signing of a Treaty. Keeping that distinction clear respects the work involved in representation, negotiation and the development of agreed processes.

A representative institution also exists within a wider community landscape. It does not erase the distinct identities, relationships to Country or priorities of different Aboriginal peoples. Understanding a Treaty process means paying attention to how those differences are recognised and how representatives remain connected and accountable to the people they serve.

Reflecting on the anniversary

This date invites reflection on who has authority to shape decisions and how public institutions can make room for First Peoples’ leadership. Rather than treating the history as a sequence of announcements, consider the patient work of listening, organising, explaining and negotiating that gives a process substance.

For current information, use First Peoples-led sources and check the latest arrangements rather than assuming that the structure in place in 2019 remains unchanged. Historical learning and contemporary participation both benefit from that care.

Continue learning

Finding Our Heart, by Thomas Mayor and illustrated by Blak Douglas, offers a thematic connection through the Uluru Statement and questions of voice and listening. It is not a history of this particular event.

Sources and further reading

Victorian Treaty process annual report 2019–20: establishing the representative body; Gellung Warl: current First Peoples-led information.