The priorities for the first round of the Treaty negotiations between the First Peoples' Assembly and the Victorian government have been agreed.
The next step in the Treaty process, the first time a government and Indigenous body have entered into negotiations over a Treaty in Australian history, will include structural measures to support reconciliation, truth, education, and healing between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Victorians.
The joint statement by the Assembly and the state government said the focus will include the principles and objectives for the Statewide Treaty, the legal recognition and effect of a Treaty, and the creation of an ongoing First Peoples' representative body.
The latter will see discussions on evolving the Assembly into an ongoing representative body and what role it would place in "decision-making relating to Victorian government programs and services for First Peoples".
Furthermore, it would look at the governance and oversight of a representative body and the interaction between said representative body and the Victorian Parliament and Government.
An Assembly spokesperson said, "We know that when it comes to Aboriginal communities, cultures, lands and languages, the experts are Aboriginal people."
"That's why we'll be looking for ways to ensure Mob in Victoria have the ability to come up with practical solutions at a local level.
"Whether it's caring for Country and overseeing ongoing truth-telling and healing efforts, or helping to improve the way services like health, housing and education are delivered in our communities, we'll make sure First Peoples always have a seat at the table."
Other topics to be discussed include implementing the accountability mechanism under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and working to support ongoing truth-telling, education, healing, and reconciliation in Victoria.
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At the commencement of the negotiations in November last year, Assembly co-chair Rueben Berg said Treaty would "deliver powerful outcomes for our communities [and] powerful outcomes for all Victoria."
At the same time, Premier Jacinta Allan said Treaty was needed to help "reset the relationship between the state of Victoria and First Peoples".
In a statement on Monday, the two parties said they agreed to add additional subject matters as negotiations proceed, which will be shared with the public.
The government are represented by senior Department of Premier and Cabinet executives, whilst appointed Member Negotiators represent the Assembly.
The negotiations are overseen by the independent Treaty Authority, based on the rules set out in the Treaty Negotiation Framework.
The statement said negotiations will resume in January with weekly talks, with the parties releasing regular joint statements to keep people updated.
