The Victorian Government today apologised to First Peoples for the “profound and undeniable harms” inflicted through the actions and inactions of the State of Victoria and the colony that came before it.
The apology was tabled as a motion in the Victorian lower house with Premier Jacinta Allan, Treaty and First Peoples Minister Natalie Hutchins, Opposition Leader Jess Wilson and Greens Leader Ellen Sandell speaking to the motion.
Assembly Co-chair and Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung and Dhudhuroa woman Ngarra Murray said today is a significant moment for the state and acknowledged that the apology may mean different things to different people.
“Today, our hearts are with our Elders and communities — whose unbroken resistance allows us to keep practising our 60,000-year-old culture, speaking our languages, sharing our stories, and caring for Country, despite the harms of colonisation and government actions,” Ngarra said.
“We carry the weight of our Ancestors, our Elders, and our families whose lives were taken — in the massacres of colonisation and through the enduring impact of government policies.
“This acknowledgement reaches deep into our families and our communities. It cannot erase the injustice, but it can begin to ease the burden we have carried for generations and help heal our collective spirit.
“While the truth about our shared past is hard to hear, we must understand and acknowledge our history so we can move forward, with respect, as equals.
“Today may bring up difficult memories and pain for members of our community. I encourage any First Peoples to look out for themselves and each other and to contact 13 YARN, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis support line, for support.”
Assembly Co-chair and Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg said the apology was negotiated as part of the first Treaty and was recommended by Yoorrook, Australia’s first formal truth-telling process.
“Yoorrook sought out and heard our peoples’ truths and laid out a way forward to help right the wrongs of the past. Treaty is how we get there,” Rueben said.
“Over the last decade, we have reset the relationship between First Peoples and government, and today’s apology forms part of this reset.
“This Treaty journey has never been a straight line, and there will continue to be twists and turns, but through Treaty we are building our collective power to make our own decisions and hold government to account to better outcomes for our people.
“We will also continue the truth-telling and healing process that Yoorrook began as we know there is more to be heard and learnt about our shared past.”
The Treaty will commence this Friday, 12 December, following Victoria’s Treaty: It’s Here ceremony and celebration at John Cain Arena, starting at 6:30pm.
