The Yorta Yorta Nations Aboriginal Corporation (YYNAC) has voted to take up a Reserved Seat on the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria.

The new position increases the Assembly to 34 seats in total, with 12 of them held by Reserved Seat holders. The decision followed a vote by Yorta Yorta community members — including the Yorta Yorta Council of Elders — at a meeting in Shepparton on Sunday.

YYNAC, which represents Country across Greater Shepparton, Moira and Benalla in north-east Victoria up to the New South Wales border, said the move "adds to YYNAC's legal and political strategies to progress and advance Yorta Yorta human rights, community services, cultural heritage management and economic development".

Robert Nicholls, YYNAC chair, nephew of Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls and descendant of Yorta Yorta Ancestors Mariah and Kitty Atkinson-Cooper, welcomed the outcome.

"The successful applicant for the Yorta Yorta Reserved Seat will be responsible for representing all Yorta Yorta people on Treaty matters," he said.

"They will be accountable to, and report regularly to, the Members and Board of Directors of the Corporation, the Elders Council, and our wider community. This is about leadership, accountability, and carrying forward our collective vision."

Assembly member for the North East region, Yorta Yorta man Levi Power, described the moment as a "long time coming".

"Sitting with my community and hearing their views on Treaty has made it clear how much this seat means," he said.

"Taking our place at the table is about more than filling a position; it's about self-determination and making sure Yorta Yorta voices are formally a part of shaping Victoria's Treaty future."

YYNAC CEO John Patrick Kerr said the decision reflected the "strength and resilience of the Yorta Yorta people".

"Attempts throughout history to silence or diminish our voice have never succeeded," he said.

"Far from being washed away, we have endured, adapted, and grown stronger. Each challenge has only sharpened our determination to keep the struggle alive and to ensure our story is heard loud and clear."

The First Peoples' Assembly is the democratically elected body of Traditional Owners negotiating statewide Treaty in Victoria — the first such process in the country since colonisation.

Earlier this month, the Assembly ratified a landmark agreement, and Cabinet has since endorsed the bill. The legislation, expected before parliament soon, is likely to pass with crossbench support. If successful, it would mark the first Treaty between an Australian state or the Commonwealth and Traditional Owners.

In a statement, YYNAC — one of 12 Registered Aboriginal Parties in Victoria — said the seat would also support opportunities in employment, health, education, heritage and land management.

"The Yorta Yorta people have spoken, and we have chosen to step forward and take our rightful place," the statement read.

"For too long, others have spoken for us — That ends here.

"This Reserved Seat is not just a seat at the table; it is a voice for our Ancestors, for our Elders, and for generations yet to come."