Record turnout in Victorian Treaty election as new First Peoples’ Assembly members announced

A record number of First Peoples have voted in Victoria’s third Treaty election, with the independent Treaty Authority on Friday, 24 April 2026 confirming the new members of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria who will sit alongside reserved Traditional Owner representatives in the Assembly’s next term.

The Treaty Authority announced successful candidates for the 22 General Seats on the Assembly, with results split across five regions covering Victoria — Metropolitan, North East, North West, South East and South West. A further 12 Reserved Seats for Traditional Owner groups were filled through separate community processes.

The 2026 elections were the first held since the Assembly negotiated Australia’s first Treaty between a government and First Peoples. The Statewide Treaty was signed at Government House on 12 November 2025, and the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 received Royal Assent the following day, becoming the Statewide Treaty Act 2025.

The Treaty Authority said more First Peoples nominated as candidates, enrolled and voted in 2026 than in the previous Assembly elections in 2019 and 2023. More than 10,000 people enrolled to vote in the 2026 elections — four times the number enrolled for the inaugural election in 2019, according to the Assembly.

Outgoing Assembly Co-chair and Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dhudhuroa and Dja Dja Wurrung woman Ngarra Murray said participation reflected the strength of Blak democracy in Victoria.

“In 2019 we planted the seeds of our Aboriginal democracy in Victoria. Since then we’ve seen it grow by every measure at every election: more candidates and more people enrolling and voting” Ms Murray said in a statement released by the Assembly on 24 April 2026.

“Fifty percent of people enrolled turned out to vote for the General Seats in the 2026 Treaty Elections and I also want to thank the thousands of Traditional Owners who turned out to vote for their Reserved Seat representatives,” she said.

“At a time when people are losing trust with democracy, I am so proud that the number of First Peoples enrolling and voting in the Treaty Elections keeps going up. This is a huge achievement when our elections are not compulsory” Ms Murray added.

Under the Statewide Treaty Act, the Assembly will form part of a new permanent body called Gellung Warl (which means “tip of the spear” in Gunaikurnai language) alongside an accountability arm and a truth-telling body that will continue work begun by the Yoorrook Justice Commission.

In the North East region, voters elected Yorta Yorta man Jarvis Atkinson, Yorta Yorta and Wamba Wamba woman Belinda Briggs, and Yorta Yorta man Levi Power of the Dhulanyagan clan, all from Shepparton.

The newly elected Assembly members will be inducted in the coming weeks and are expected to hold their first official meetings on Dja Dja Wurrung Country in early May, where they will elect new Co-chairs and Council members.