Blow the Truth

  Victoria First Peoples’ Assembly Victoria’s newly elected First Peoples’ Assembly has taken its seat in the Parliament of Victoria for the first time, with new members who will negotiate the historic statewide Treaty – giving Victoria’s First Peoples true self-determination in matters that affect their communities. After First Nations Victorians voted in record numbers in the second Treaty Elections, Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Treaty and First Peoples Gabrielle Williams today attended the new Assembly’s first meeting on Wurundjeri Country, congratulating members and newly-elected co-Chairs, Ngarra Murray and Rueben Berg. Ngarra Murray is a Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Dhudhuroa and Wiradjuri woman with extensive experience in human rights and community development, having led Oxfam Australia’s First Peoples’ programs for a decade. Rueben Berg is a proud Gunditjmara man with experience in government through his role as the Commissioner for the Victorian Envi

  Governments have failed to properly share decision-making with Indigenous people to accelerate Closing the Gap, despite formally undertaking to do so, according to a scathing indictment by the Productivity Commission . The commission says too many government agencies consult Indigenous people “on a pre-determined solution, rather than collaborating on the problem and co-designing a solution”. The broad-ranging criticism is contained in the commission’s first review of the 2020 “ National Agreement on Closing the Gap ”. The Albanese government will use the findings to reinforce its pitch for the Voice – which is that Indigenous people are not being properly heard on what needs to be done to tackle the problems in health, housing, employment, education and other areas of disadvantage. The review says: “There appears to be an assumption that ‘governments know best’, which is contrary to the principle of shared decision-making in the Agreement.” The national agreement was put i