THE First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria should look at multiple Treaties with the state government rather than a single Treaty, a north west representative says.
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The assembly, which is the first democratically-elected body of Indigenous people in the state's history, has met for a second time in Melbourne.
Bendigo and District Aboriginal Co-operative chief executive Raylene Harradine, who is an assembly member, said traditional owners and Aboriginal organisations had different goals that could not be met with one Treaty.
"There are going to be varying views on what a Treaty looks like," she said. "But one of the key things is around truth and justice.
"It's about understanding what happened in the past and use that as a way of moving forward. I think that's a critical component for all of the frameworks."
The assembly heard from the British Columbia Treaty Commission at its February meeting.
The commission helped establish a treaty between the First Nations peoples and the Canadian government.
"One of the key things is trying to see and hear from the experiences from other nations who have gone down this path," Ms Harradine said.
"We want to see what has worked for them and what hasn't, but we still need to acknowledge that Australia is different."
Ms Harradine said the assembly also unanimously voted to live-stream the February meeting to ensure its discussions were transparent for the community.
"We've got a major responsibility," she said. "From time to time, our roles can be misinterpreted and some people won't understand it.
"But we want to be open and transparent so everyone can see the progress in our meetings."
The north west representatives held a meeting in Swan Hill last month so members of the community could share their thoughts and ideas around what needed to happen to establish a treaty.
"There were some key things that they brought up," Ms Harradine said. "They said the elders' voices were vital to the treaty process.
"They also had some questions around the resourcing of staff in regional areas. It can be hard for us in the north west because we're covering 78,000 square kilometres.
"Our area is so vast compared to the metro areas. It's going to be difficult at times.
"However as north west representatives, we're really committed to keeping our community updated and giving them the opportunity to be part of what we're doing."
The assembly will have its next meeting in June.
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Tara Cosoleto
Journalist covering courts and general news at the Bendigo Advertiser.
Journalist covering courts and general news at the Bendigo Advertiser.
