Treaty for Victoria Update S24, Ep34

Ruth and Phil welcome Levi Power and Jarvis Atkinson from the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria who bring us the latest Victorian Treaty news. Treaty is an opportunity for First Peoples to have a greater say and control over matters that affect them. It is an opportunity to secure meaningful structural reform to ensure First Peoples make the decisions about their communities, their culture, and their country. Australia is the only Commonwealth country without a Treaty with its First Nation’s People but this is about to change with the State of Victoria leading the way.The First People’s Assembly of Victoria is the independent and democratically elected body to represent Traditional Owners of Country and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Victoria.Having conducted a careful and thorough consultation process over the last 7 years with Indigenous people across the State, The First Peoples’ Assembly have announced they are now ready to commence Treaty negotiations with the State Government of Victoria.The assembly will continue to bring Communities together around the State to decide what priorities they should focus on during the first round of negotiations. This will also help empower the diverse Traditional Owner groups in Victoria to start negotiating Treaties in the areas that reflect their specific aspirations and priorities.For more information go to firstpeoplesvic.org where there is plenty of great information and an invitation to non indigenous Victorians to walk with them on the path to Treaty.About Levi PowerLevi Power is a proud Yorta Yorta man of the Dhulanyagan clan, born, raised and living in Shepparton. He has worked in the Treaty space for the last four years, engaging with Community across the State and is now one of four North East Representatives with the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.“I want to see a Victoria where the oldest living culture in the world is embraced and celebrated, and the right history is being taught in schools. A Victoria that values Aboriginal Community skills and knowledge.”About Jarvis AtkinsonJarvis Atkinson, a Yorta Yorta man from Shepparton, recounts how his educational experiences led to involvement with the criminal justice system. He describes overcoming addiction, and now he works as one of the NE Engagement Officers with the First Peoples Assembly, promoting Treaty and self-determination in Victoria.Also, this month, EarthChat is giving away a copy of the wonderful book "Sand Talk" by Tyson Yunkaporta. To be in the running, just message BEAM on Facebook or email beamenvirogroup@gmail.com with the tag #sandtalk and your name will be in the hat.