This country was invaded. First Nations people were violently dispossessed, had their children stolen, their families separated, and their lands, waters and skies devastated.
Despite this, First Nations people never ceded sovereignty.
Proud warriors fought the invaders in the frontier wars and First Nations people have survived with strength and resilience, protecting their cultures in the face of attempted genocide.
Today many of the harms of colonisation of this land remain. We see them in the laws, policies and the racism that causes deaths in custody, children still being taken from families, and in the trauma and impoverishment of many First Nations people. We see the harms in the destruction of Aboriginal cultural heritage for mines or highways.
Recognition of these truths is essential to addressing the wrongs of the past and the present. Since 2022 the Yoorook Truth Commission has been taking historic evidence from Elders on the past and ongoing injustices of colonisation. This is incredibly important.
It is from a shared understanding of this land’s truth that we can move towards Treaty and justice.
We must return power to First Nations communities to determine their own future.
The Greens’ plan to improve justice for first nations people includes:
- Raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14, now
- Reforming our bail laws to reduce deaths in custody
- Ending mandatory sentencing.
- Independently monitoring police and prisons to address racism and discrimination and stop mistreatment of prisoners.
- Provide an additional $24.5 million to the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service to ensure First Nations people have proper legal representation.
- Creating an independent commissioner to monitor progress on implementation of recommendations of both the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and coronial inquests.
