First Peoples communities have thrived for more than 60,000 years and are among the oldest living cultures on Earth. We recognise that since time immemorial, First Peoples in Victoria have practised their law and lore, customs and languages. They nurtured Country through their spiritual, cultural, material and economic connections to land, water and resources.
We acknowledge the strength and resilience of First Peoples in the face of historical and ongoing injustices. We honour the survival of their living cultures, knowledges and traditions.
We honour the tireless efforts of generations of First Peoples leaders and communities who have stood against racism and advanced the values of freedom, fairness and equality. This strategy is our commitment to a shared future that is free from racism and discrimination for all Victorians in generations to come.
Pursuit of Treaty and Truth
We acknowledge the past and ongoing harms that systems and structures of colonisation have caused First Peoples communities. Throughout our history, First Peoples have endured racism and discrimination and been excluded from social and economic opportunities.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission is helping us understand our history from the perspective of First Peoples, how it affects their present and how Treaty can lead to practical changes and solutions that improve the lives and futures of First Peoples.
Treaty offers a pathway to change what is not working. Treaty will have wide-ranging effects on the way the Victorian Government works with First Peoples, including in addressing racism. Victoria’s Treaty process will enable the transfer of decision-making power to support self-determination, ensuring First Peoples have their say on the policies that affect their lives.
Through Treaty, we can bring Victorians together and feel shared pride in First Peoples heritage, history and culture.
Language statement
The words ‘our’ and ‘we’ in this document refer to the Victorian Government.
Victorians are diverse in culture, ethnicity and faith. Victorians from culturally, ethnically and religiously diverse communities use different terms to describe themselves and their communities, and terms people use can also change over time.
In this strategy, we use the term ‘multicultural communities’ to collectively describe the diverse cultural and ethnic groups that make up Victoria. We also use the term ‘multifaith communities’ to refer to Victoria’s diverse religious and faith communities.
We recognise the diversity of First Peoples, communities and cultures throughout Victoria. While the terms ‘Koorie’ or ‘Koori’ are sometimes used to describe Aboriginal or First Peoples of southeast Australia, in this strategy we use the term ‘First Peoples’ to include all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in Victoria.
To end racism together, we need a shared language for how we describe racism and the communities and people harmed by it. When we talk about ‘racism and discrimination’ in this strategy, we mean this to include and refer to both racial and faith-based discrimination, given they are closely related.
We define other key terms throughout this strategy and in the glossary.
Support Services
The information in this strategy may be confronting to those who have faced racism and discrimination. For advice on services and support, please visit the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission’s Reducing racism hub web page.
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