Acknowledgement of Country
We proudly acknowledge the First Peoples of Victoria as the Traditional Owners and custodians of the land, waters and skies on which we live and work. We honour and pay our respects to Elders past and present.
We recognise the strength and resilience of First Peoples in the face of historical and ongoing injustices, and the survival of their living cultures, knowledges and traditions. We also acknowledge the experiences and contributions of First Peoples with disability, and the crucial role of their families, communities and caregivers.
Pursuit of Treaty and Truth
The Victorian Government recognises that First Peoples have endured historical and ongoing injustices, including racism and discrimination, and have been excluded from social and economic opportunities.
We acknowledge that the systems and structures of colonisation have caused harm to First Peoples, including First Peoples with disability. We know we still have much to learn about the intersection of ableism, racism, dispossession and colonisation.
In working towards Treaty, we are committed to acknowledging the truth of Victoria’s past and present through the work of the Yoorrook Justice Commission and the lived experience of First Peoples.
We know Truth and Treaty seek to enable self-determination for First Peoples in Victoria, including Traditional Owners. Victoria’s pathway to Treaty recognises that First Peoples are best placed make decisions about their own futures.
We will continue to listen and learn as we move forward with a shared understanding of our past and our present, and work together towards better outcomes for all Victorians.
Language statement
The words ‘our’ and ‘we’ in this document refer to the Victorian Government.
People with disability talk about their disability and their identity in different ways. In this document, we use person-first language. For example, we say ‘people with disability’. The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Disability Royal Commission) uses this language. Inclusive Victoria: state disability plan 2022–2026 also uses this language.
We know many people prefer to use identity-first language. For example, they say ‘disabled people’. We also know many people in the Deaf community do not identify as people with disability. Instead, they see themselves as a distinct cultural and linguistic group. We acknowledge disability means different things to different people.
We recognise the diversity of First Peoples, communities and cultures throughout Victoria. The First Peoples of south-east Australia sometimes use the words ‘Koorie’ or ‘Koori’ to describe themselves. In this document, we use the terms ‘First Peoples,’ ‘First Nations’ or ‘Aboriginal people’. This includes all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in Victoria.
We acknowledge there are some writing style inconsistencies in this document. In particular, these relate to capitalisation, italicisation of publication titles and the use of abbreviations as shortened forms of common terms.
These inconsistencies arise due to differences between the way the Disability Royal Commission and the Victorian Government treat these matters.
We have chosen to retain the Disability Royal Commission’s writing style in its recommendations. We have also retained the style used in the joint responses. We did this so as not to alter the text agreed by all jurisdictions.
We have applied the Victorian Government’s writing style guidelines to the Victorian Government responses. We have made some minor exceptions to Victorian Government writing style for the sake of clarity and readability.
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