Millions of Australians could get a new public holiday as part of negotiations for Victoria’s treaty

Victorians may soon get a new public holiday to celebrate Indigenous culture, as part of ongoing negotiations for a statewide treaty.

The holiday would commemorate the date a treaty is signed and celebrate the state’s diverse indigenous cultures and languages.

Multi-clan traditional owner and co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Ngarra Murray, told the ABC the proposal was all about inclusivity.

“A day that is all about inclusivity so we can all celebrate together as a community,” Ms Murray said.

‘Because the treaty is not just about people, it is about all the peoples who live here in our country.’

Negotiations on Australia’s first treaty with Aboriginal people are expected to begin in November between the Victorian government and the First Peoples’ Assembly.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said her government is committed to working towards a treaty.

In addition to a state-wide treaty, there will be separate traditional owner treaties in regions across Victoria to ensure ‘local knowledge can influence decision-making at community level’.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says her government is fully committed to implementing a treaty

While the Assembly said no negotiating brief had yet been finalized and the powers of Aboriginal groups had not yet been announced, it made clear that it expects it to have substantial decision-making functions.

“We want a process and timeline to give the Assembly real decision-making powers on First Nations affairs,” the First Nations report said.

In addition, the Assembly will assume an advisory role to the government on policies that go beyond those primarily affecting Aboriginal people.

“Where decisions are not primarily about the mafia, but still impact us, we want the Assembly to be able to ensure that Victorian Government and Public Service Ministers receive direct advice from First Peoples,” it said report.

The Assembly will also seek ‘the power to hold the Victorian Government to account on its promises and the ability to scrutinize policies, practices and services to ensure they are in order and make the mafia happen’.

The proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which according to the Uluru Statement from the Heart blueprint was a step towards a Treaty at national level, was convincingly rejected in last year’s referendum.

Despite support from the federal government, the vote failed to pass in any state, including Victoria, and was rejected by 62 percent of voters nationally.

The First Assembly of Victoria consists of 33 elected representatives from across the state