Victoria treaty vote opens as First Peoples prepare to shape the next phase

Victoria’s treaty process has moved into a more consequential stage, with Aboriginal Victorians now voting for the representatives who will help shape the next phase of the state’s landmark agreement. The current election for the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria runs until 12 April, with more than 70 candidates contesting seats in what is the third Assembly election since 2019, but the first since the body was promised a broader role under Victoria’s treaty framework.

The stakes are higher this time because the Assembly is about to sit inside Gellung Warl, the permanent structure created by the Statewide Treaty Act 2025. Under Victoria’s official treaty framework, Gellung Warl will bring together the Assembly, an accountability arm, and a truth-telling arm. The Assembly will not make laws, but it will be able to advise government on matters affecting First Peoples and help test whether treaty commitments are actually being carried out.

That helps explain why candidates and voters are describing the ballot as more than a symbolic exercise. Meriki Onus, a Gunai and Gunditjmara candidate, said: “This is a democratic process for our community … our community will decide what’s best for them, and that’s what self-determination means.” The election is also expected to produce a more professionalised representative body, with full-time roles and a formal place in the machinery of treaty oversight once Gellung Warl begins operating in May.

Eligibility rules are intended to capture both Traditional Owners and the broader Aboriginal community. According to the Assembly’s election material, First Peoples aged 16 and over can enrol and vote if they are Victorian Traditional Owners or have lived in Victoria for three of the past five years. The new Assembly will include 34 seats, including 12 reserved seats for Traditional Owner groups and the rest filled through metropolitan and regional contests.

The result will help determine how much authority Aboriginal representatives can carry into the next political cycle. That matters because treaty supporters see the Assembly as the practical vehicle for self-determination, while opponents remain hostile to the broader project. In that sense, this election is not only about who wins seats. It is about whether Victoria’s treaty model can build enough legitimacy, participation, and staying power to survive beyond its first historic breakthrough.