This week, Ruth. Emma and Phil continue their conversation about the impacts of colonization in Australia. On Tuesday's program they will focus on why Treaty in Victoria will ultimately benefit everyone who lives in this State.
The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the State Government have formerly declared that negotiations can now begin to create a Treaty for the State of Victoria, Australia. Non indigenous residents as well as indigenous residents will gain from agreeing to a Treaty. How? By supporting indigenous Victorians having self determination it will ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can choose how best to meet and manage their social, cultural and economic needs so they too can have autonomy to live their best lives.
Self determination for all means we are free to be the authority in our own affairs and live in accordance with our own values and beliefs. We all need the ability to decide what we want to do with our lives and to have the freedom to act on that decision. We can then develop a sense of personal empowerment and freely achieve our chosen goals. Living alongside the oldest living culture in the world offers profound richness to our ‘western’ lives, along with unique and exciting opportunities for collaboration and innovative partnerships.
‘Two Way Knowledge’ or ‘Two Way Learning’ means we mix the best of western and indigenous knowledge and bring together the differences in our our two cultures to meet and interface in all aspects of society. The results? Barriers are broken down and together we create cross-cultural understanding and sensitivity. Combining our knowledge and skills means everyone has what they need to thrive.
We will illustrate examples of the increasing number of exciting partnerships that have formed and are forming as a result of our two cultures coming together.
And we will name the obstacles that are still getting in the way of such creative innovation and well being. What’s needed to overcome and heal the trauma of the past, and to heal the longstanding division and fear that was sorely exposed by the recent referendum?
The Truth Telling facilitated by The Yoorrook Justice Commission is helping us learn about and embrace our true history. It reveals much about who we are, how we got here, and where we go if we are good Treaty partners and treat each other and our planet well. The discomfort that we may feel is an invitation to listen, to learn, to understand, and to honour the wisdom of Australia’s indigenous peoples, one that respects people and the planet.
Join us for this important conversation. 12noon, Tuesday 17th December, on SeymourFM, 103.9 on your dial.
You too can join a weekend of Self-Reflection Conversations on Structural Racism, Privilege, Decolonization and Allyship on February 1& 2, 2025, at Commonground, Seymour, Victoria. Enquiries: emma@common-ground.org.au
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