Good evening, everyone! My name is Ngarra Murray, and I’m a proud Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung and Dhudhuroa woman. I’m elected Co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.
We gather here tonight on Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Country in Narrm – a place that has long stood at the forefront of political change for First Peoples, over generations.
We offer our respect to the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung.
We acknowledge the warriors of the frontier wars and resistance fighters. We honour Elders past and present, and the generations yet to come who carry the strength of their Ancestors in their spirit.
We acknowledge all First Peoples across Victoria, from the North, to the South, to the East, and to the West.
Across this whole place, every direction carries the deep cultural knowledge of the many First Peoples who have cared for these lands since time immemorial.
Connection to Country is as profound as it is unique and our cultural practices are founded on and embedded within a worldview in which people and Country are one.
The sovereignty of First Peoples has never been ceded. It continues to, and always will, exist.
Today, for the first time in the history of this nation, we affirm a Treaty between First Peoples and the State.
This Treaty is born from the strength, resilience and resistance of our people. It is born from our unyielding love for this Country and our Communities, and our unwavering belief in a better future.
In every generation, our people have looked to the sky for guidance. Our Ancestors read the stars to navigate the land and waters, the seasons, and the songlines that carried our stories across our Countries.
Today, we have a new star to look to, one not born of the cosmos, but of courage, truth and the unbroken will of our peoples.
That star is Treaty.
Treaty is the point on the horizon that will unite us – across clans, across nations, across generations, across cultures, and communities reminding us that we rise strongest when we rise together.
Treaty is our north star. Our guiding light.
It enables us to be grounded and have clear direction.
Treaty is just the beginning.
At its heart, it is about new relationships – about two parties coming together in a new era.
Treaties are a bridge. Not just between us and the State, but between black and white, the past and the future.
Treaties are about practical change that improves the livelihoods of our people and strengthens the health, wellbeing, and prosperity of our communities.
Everything we do today, every step we take, every hard conversation, every moment of courage, is ultimately for our future, for our children and their children.
This Treaty means that our children will inherit a different world from the one we were born into.
This is our gift to them, a future strengthened by Treaty, a future shaped by unity, and a future worthy of their dreams.
And as we mark this historic moment, we know we do not stand alone. We stand with all of you.
Thank you to everyone who has turned up tonight.
Thank you to everyone, who for over a decade, walked alongside us towards Treaty.
It is a privilege for us to share this moment with you all.
Thank you and have a good night.
Watch the full speech here:
