Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung move step closer to Victorian treaty talks with register entry

The Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung have taken a significant step toward a Traditional Owner treaty with Victoria, after being formally added to the Treaty Authority’s Negotiations Register. Wurundjeri Country takes in much of greater Melbourne, including the CBD.

In a public notification, the Treaty Authority confirmed the group was added to the Negotiations Register on 9 April for the purposes of treaty negotiations with the State of Victoria. The notice describes the area as part of Wurundjeri Country where the group holds “Existing Status” under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 (Vic) as a Registered Aboriginal Party.

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The Treaty Authority explained the register is the starting point for local treaty talks. “Entry onto the Negotiations Register is the first step for Traditional Owner Groups seeking to commence negotiations for a Traditional Owner Treaty with the State of Victoria,” it said.

The public notice also outlines requirements for Traditional Owner groups to enter the register, including meeting minimum standards relating to land and waters, community, leadership and inclusivity, and recording a decision to enter negotiations. Because Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung has Existing Status under the framework, the Treaty Authority said the group automatically satisfies the minimum standards.

For Wurundjeri Traditional Owners, the move signals an intention to bring long-standing priorities onto a treaty table. The corporation has said a Wurundjeri treaty would focus on practical areas including Country and environment, education and health outcomes, with an emphasis on improving life expectancy and addressing mental health and intergenerational trauma.

The step sits within Victoria’s broader treaty process, which includes a statewide treaty process alongside the possibility of local Traditional Owner treaties. The Treaty Authority, established as an independent body, oversees elements of the negotiation framework and publishes notices as groups progress through each stage. The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, the elected body representing Traditional Owners in the statewide treaty process, welcomed the milestone.

Under the treaty framework, once Traditional Owners are on the Negotiations Register they can begin forming a First Peoples’ Treaty Delegation with other Traditional Owner groups who have interests in the same area of land and waters. The Treaty Authority says it will issue further notices when delegation formation begins, and negotiations with the state can start once a delegation is formed and entered on the register.

Supporters of treaty say local agreements are designed to put Traditional Owner decision-making and accountability mechanisms in place on matters affecting Country and community, while ensuring that local knowledge informs solutions on the ground.

For now, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung register entry is a procedural milestone but it is also a marker of momentum, as more Traditional Owner groups move from community consultation into the formal steps required to negotiate treaty in Victoria