The Dja Dja Wurrung people are the first traditional owners to declare their intent to negotiate a treaty with the Victorian Government.
The move is the first step towards a local treaty covering Dja Dja Wurrung Country, separate to a state-wide treaty.
The traditional area covers a large section of Central Victoria, including Bendigo, Maryborough, Creswick and Daylesford.
Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation CEO, Rodney Carter, says a localized treaty is more specific to the needs of the region.
“The [proposed] state-wide treaty [is] led and facilitated by the First People’s Assembly of Victoria and covers very broadly the needs of the community across the whole state,” he said.
“I think what happens with a regional localized treaty like what the Dja Dja Wurrung [people are] doing is its more specific or intimate to what we need here in Central Victoria.”
