It is time Traditional Owner culture and knowledge is truly taken seriously.

We're not just a service provider for Welcomes to Country, or a nice language name for another government report.

Our unbroken connection to Country extends back over 60,000 years as the oldest cultures on earth. That needs to be respected.

We contribute our knowledge of landscape management, botanical use, animal husbandry and astronomy freely with those who are interested to learn.

At the request of governments, we contribute meaningfully to strategies and policies that, if implemented, will make our Country and communities thrive.

However, the vision that we have for a landscape that is thriving, a community that is proud and resilient and culture that is strong is, at times, corrupted by government.

There are many in our communities who say "you can't trust government, they haven't done the right thing by us" and those who say "take it slowly, you can never really trust those in power".

Despite this, we must stay committed to realising our vision and work with those who can share that vision and accept their willingness to help.

In Victoria, the government says the right thing and often does the right thing, to a point.

Enormous pieces of work have been developed that will significantly change the statutory and policy landscape and reform a system to be Treaty ready for the betterment of all Victorians.

However, they are stalling.

Yes, Victoria is leading the way in its inclusion of Nation Statements in its water policy, supporting Traditional Owner led cultural fire, cultural landscapes and native foods and botanicals strategies, but all too often they fail to advance into implementation.

Why is it that a serious, well consulted, and thoughtful strategy is a useful thing to have a on shelf but not to fund so that it may be fully realised?

It is because systems of power are built to retain power.

This means that they are unable to facilitate self-determination because real self-determination means relinquishing control so that First Nations people can make their own decisions.

It also means that sometimes we can make mistakes.

But then surely, even if we matched the mistakes made by the government, our people would still be in a better place.

It similarly means that our unique cultural approach and understandings can be used to better support our own people.

So don't stop now. We have come a long way, but we have a long way to go.

Treaty will be an important step in securing positive change in the lives of Traditional Owners but there is so much that we can achieve, immediately, that will significantly change the lives of Traditional Owners for the better.

What are we waiting for? Let's continue the policy shifts by committing to fully funding all strategies developed and led by Traditional Owners for the better management of Country and for everyone.

• Paul Paton is the chief executive of the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations