Victorian Government initiatives and engagements relevant to agreements and treaty

The state government has committed to the following initiatives relevant to treaty.

• Native title: The State Government adopted the Victorian Native Title Settlement Framework in June 2009 as the preferred method for negotiating native title in Victoria.

• Aboriginal heritage: the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council was created under the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 to ensure that Aboriginal people throughout Victoria play a central role in the protection and management of their heritage.  

• New representative arrangements: The State Government's new Indigenous Representative Arrangements introduced Local and Regional Indigenous Networks (LINs and RINs).  LINs often cover several LGAs, such as the Inter-Council Aboriginal Consultative Committee (ICACC) in the south-eastern suburbs.
• Closing the gap: Victoria has agreed to the COAG Closing the Gap commitments.  Local government has a crucial role to play in many areas identified in the national integrated strategy including:
• safe and supportive communities;
• education and training (school attendance and attainment, Indigenous cultural studies);
• healthy lives (mental health, suicide and self-harm) – racism and lack of cultural respect contribute to lateral violence in communities;
• economic participation (labour market participation, Indigenous owned and controlled land and business, home ownership, income support);
• home environment (overcrowding, access to water, sewerage and electricity);
• governance and leadership (governance capacity and skills, engagement with service delivery);
• participation in organised sport, arts or community group activities; and
• access to traditional lands.
• Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities: the Charter formally recognises human rights including freedom, respect, equality and dignity.  The Charter has four founding principles including ‘human rights have a special importance for the Aboriginal people of Victoria, as descendants of Australia's first people, with their diverse spiritual, social, cultural and economic relationship with their traditional lands and waters’.  The Charter is to be reviewed in 2011 and self determination for Indigenous peoples is a key human right to be considered for inclusion in the Charter at that time.  Local government has a major role to play in implementing the Charter with respect to Indigenous peoples. 

• Draft National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework: the vision of the Standing Committee of Attorney Generals’ Framework is that ‘All Australian governments, Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders, service providers, and other relevant stakeholders, working together, can close the gap in Indigenous law and justice outcomes by embracing the values of reconciliation, trust and good will and an ongoing commitment to innovative and sustainable approaches’. 

• Wannik: the Government's Education Strategy for Koorie Students requires schools to work in partnership with Koorie communities to develop an understanding of Koorie culture, including substantial professional support for school leaders and teachers.  Local councils have a potential role to play in supporting schools in this task. 

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