The First Peoples' Assembly says it is "unacceptable in the Treaty era" that the Victorian government is seeking to rush through proposed changes that would allow children to receive life sentences.
Over the past year, the Assembly negotiated Australia's first Treaty between First Peoples and government. The Treaty will commence later this year.
The Treaty will require the Victorian Government to consult the First Peoples' Assembly on any policies and programs that affect Aboriginal people. It will also require every Bill to report on its compatibility with the Treaty.
The Victorian government's "adult time for violent crime" legislation would see children as young as 14 tried, sentenced and imprisoned as adults, and opens up the possibility of life sentences for 14 year-olds.
Assembly Co-chair and Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung and Dhudhuroa woman Ngarra Murray said the Assembly was deeply disappointed by the government's announcement last week that came as Treaty was set to be signed.
"Our peoples are already over-policed and over-represented in prison populations," she said.
"Aboriginal communities will again bear the brunt of the government's proposed changes, which will result in Aboriginal children being locked up in prison and kept away from their families for longer. Rather than setting children on the right path, this risks pushing them into a lifetime of offending."
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Assembly Co-chair and Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg said that safe and strong communities are built by addressing the root causes of crime and that the government should be focusing on "prevention, not prison".
"Our kids thrive when they are grounded in community and culture," he said.
"The government should be prioritising prevention, healing and support for children who are at risk or have offended, not throwing them behind bars. This is what will actually make the community safer."
The legislation will require amendments to the Crimes Act, the Children, Youth and Families Act, and the Youth Justice Act.
"We want the courts to treat these violent children like adults, so jail is more likely and sentences are longer," Premier Jacinta Allan said.
"Adult time for violent crime will mean more violent youth offenders going to jail, facing serious consequences."
The government's plan has also been condemned by the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, the Human Rights Law Centre, VACCHO, Change the Record, VACCA, the Greens, Shara Clarke Aboriginal Restorative Justice Services, 54 Reasons, Senator Lidia Thorpe, the Commission for Children and Young People, Jesuit Social Services, and the National Network for Incarcerated and Former Incarcerated Women and Girls.
Senator Thorpe has urged Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy to follow through on her commitment to impose sanctions on states and territories that undermine Closing the Gap targets, saying Victoria "must be put on notice" over the plan.
