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Welcome to the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations

The Federation is the Victorian state-wide body that convenes and advocates for the rights and interests of Traditional Owners while progressing wider social, economic, environmental and cultural objectives.

About Us

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land we work on as the First Peoples of this Country.

Country

Country is the central pillar of our work and strategy because healthy Country means healthy community. Country first is the guiding principle for our Traditional Owner knowledge holders. Our work to embed culture on Country supports Traditional Owner decision making in policy and respects over 40,000 years of lived experience on Country.

Our work on Country recognises the knowledge, rights and responsibilities of Traditional Owners. We work in the following areas to embed Traditional Owner voices in management of Country.

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Community

Community wellbeing means strong culture and healthy community.

Our community provides the direction and knowledge base that informs our work and guides our policy advice. It is our Traditional Owner community that we support to realise their Nation visions and have real management of Country and culture.

Our community is actively supported by our work in the following areas.

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Economy

Economic development supports community wellbeing and is critical to enabling activation of rights and self-determination of our People.

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Impact

Our work developing policy and advocating for Traditional Owner rights is impactful. Policy is the tool by which we embed self-determination in the colonising structures that govern Country and culture.

Our policy work with Traditional Owners supports them to realise their principles and visions through statutory and legislative change.

In the following areas we have made significant changes through our direct advocacy.

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About Us

We are the Victorian state-wide body that convenes and advocates for the rights and interests of Traditional Owners while progressing wider social, economic, environmental and cultural objectives.

We support the progress of agreement-making and participation in decision-making to enhance the authority of Traditional Owner Corporations on behalf of their communities.

Our governance supports our purpose to facilitate and amplify a strong voice for Traditional Owners and progress our shared interests. We talk about this more in the following sections.

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News

Economic development supports community wellbeing and is critical to enabling activation of rights and self-determination of our People.
Discussion Papers
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Information Sheets
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Publications
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Read more about how we’re supporting self-determination through economic development.

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The Aboriginal Culture and Healing Flood Recovery Grant will enable DJAARA to undertake assessments of cultural heritage sites on Djandak (Country) to determine which cultural heritage places have been affected by the October 22 floods and the associated level of impact to these sites. 

Find out more about this and other projects here https://fvtoc.com.au/sections/flood-recovery-grant-program/ 
Emergency Recovery Victoria

The Aboriginal Culture and Healing Flood Recovery Grant will enable DJAARA to undertake assessments of cultural heritage sites on Djandak (Country) to determine which cultural heritage places have been affected by the October 22 floods and the associated level of impact to these sites.

Find out more about this and other projects here https://fvtoc.com.au/sections/…
Emergency Recovery Victoria
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National Close the Gap Day is an annual event that raises awareness and seeks to #CloseTheGap with respect to life expectancy, child mortality, educational and employment outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and non-Indigenous Australians. 

We are proud of work as a member of the Coalition of Peaks to make real change for our mob.

The release of the Productivity Commission’s first overarching review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap shows just how little progress has been made. 

Whilst overwhelmingly, the Agreement’s significant benchmarks have not been met, central to this failure are the core issues that have been identified in this report in harsh but long-known terms.

Read our response here < https://fvtoc.com.au/documents/governments-must-commit-to-the-work-of-closing-the-gap-7-february-2024/>

National Close the Gap Day is an annual event that raises awareness and seeks to #CloseTheGap with respect to life expectancy, child mortality, educational and employment outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and non-Indigenous Australians.

We are proud of work as a member of the Coalition of Peaks to make real change for our mob.

The release of the Productivity Commission’s first overarching review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap shows just how little progress has been made.

Whilst overwhelmingly, the Agreement’s significant benchmarks have not been met, central to this failure are the core issues that have been identified in this report in harsh but long-known terms.

Read our response here < https://fvtoc.com.au/documents/…;
... See MoreSee Less

The Victorian Government’s Social Procurement Framework is failing to support economic development pathway for Aboriginal businesses. It’s time that we followed the rest of Australia and introduced an Aboriginal Preferential Procurement Program. 

https://fvtoc.com.au/sections/indigenous-preferential-procurement/
#DontStopNow
#SpringSt
Kinaway Chamber of Commerce Vic Ltd

The Victorian Government’s Social Procurement Framework is failing to support economic development pathway for Aboriginal businesses. It’s time that we followed the rest of Australia and introduced an Aboriginal Preferential Procurement Program.

https://fvtoc.com.au/sections/…
#DontStopNow
#SpringSt
Kinaway Chamber of Commerce Vic Ltd
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Thank you to everyone who attended the Victorian Traditional Owner Renewable Energy Forum, hosted by the Federation in partnership with Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation and First Nations Legal & Research Services. 

Representatives from 10 Traditional Owner Corporations and legal and sector experts discussed how to ensure that the scale and pace of the renewable energy transition does not impact cultural values of land and sea Country.

This must be through implementation of the principles of free, prior and informed consent and embedded in legislative and regulatory mechanisms.

Lets ensure renewable energy sector achieves better outcomes for Traditional Owners than the old energy and extractive industries.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Victorian Traditional Owner Renewable Energy Forum, hosted by the Federation in partnership with Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation and First Nations Legal & Research Services.

Representatives from 10 Traditional Owner Corporations and legal and sector experts discussed how to ensure that the scale and pace of the renewable energy transition does not impact cultural values of land and sea Country.

This must be through implementation of the principles of free, prior and informed consent and embedded in legislative and regulatory mechanisms.

Let's ensure renewable energy sector achieves better outcomes for Traditional Owners than the old energy and extractive industries.
... See MoreSee Less

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