A letter telling homeowners they were at risk of losing their properties to First Nations people has been labeled fake.
The letter was delivered to letterboxes in Boort, northwest of Melbourne, and advised homeowners to seek legal advice to protect their homes from repurchase.
The letter falsely claimed to be written by Dylan Clarke, a Wotjobaluk man who is a member of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.
Panicked locals became alarmed after reading it, forcing the meeting to intervene and assure them it was fake, before labeling it as ‘racist fear-mongering’.
A spokesperson for the meeting said the letter had created ‘unfounded fears about the reacquisition of land titles’.
The matter has been referred to Victoria Police, with a spokesperson confirming on Tuesday evening that they were investigating the ‘fraudulent letter’.
The fake letter (pictured) has now been referred to Victorian Police, who are now investigating the matter
A fraudulent letter sent to homes in regional Victoria told homeowners that their land had been reacquired by the First Peoples Assembly, with the letter apparently signed by Representative Dylan Clarke (pictured)
The one-page letter included the meeting’s logo and ended with an acknowledgment of the country, a link to the First Peoples website and the Aboriginal and Torres Strat Islander flags.
“We are proud to announce that Treaty negotiations are underway… we are in the next phase of land reacquisition,” it said.
“As a result, landowners like you will be formally contacted to arrange geological and anthropological inspections of the land.
“As a First Nations representative for this local area, I look forward to meeting you in person during these research activities.”
The letter then urged the recipient to “seek legal advice as new leases may be negotiated.”
“Finally, I thank you for your involvement and cooperation in these critically important matters as we work as a community to right the wrongs of the colonial past and the genocide of indigenous peoples that these events entailed,” the letter said.
The letter’s false claims about “land reacquisition” caused an uproar among those who believed they were about to be evicted from their homes.
When the real Mr Clarke became aware of the letter’s existence, he described it as ‘terribly sad and extremely frustrating’.
“The lies in this letter are intended to portray us as something to fear. It’s a real ‘come after your backyard’ bull****,” Mr Clarke said.
“We are trying to have constructive conversations in the community and someone is going to extraordinary lengths to poison goodwill and make people fearful of all the positive things we can achieve together on the journey to the Treaty.
“We are better than this.”
Mr Clarke has since gone to the trouble of writing his own letter and distributing it throughout the area to let people know the first one was a fake.
The meeting (pictured) rejected the letter, while the real Mr Clarke wrote a follow-up which was re-posted to the affected area, letting homeowners know they had been victims of misinformation
The meeting’s co-chair, Rueben Berg, a Gunditjmara man, said he had no idea who had sent the letter or why they would have done so.
“Unfortunately, this is a trend in the history of our people: when we advocate for our rights, when we advocate for benefits for our people, some people who don’t support that come out and spread lies.” told the Guardian.
“We know this treaty will deliver better outcomes for Victorians.”
Boorts local member Peter Walsh, who also acts as opposition spokesperson for Aboriginal Affairs, said the coalition “strongly condemned” the letter.
“In recent days, some landowners in the state’s north-west have received the letter, which contains damaging inaccuracies about land reclamation,” Mr Walsh said.
A state treaty is currently being negotiated between the Assembly and the Andrews Government, with negotiations set to begin in the coming months.
The Treaty of Victoria has the potential to change institutional structures within the state, such as the criminal justice system.
Different treaties with traditional owner groups will also be used to resolve issues in region-specific disputes in the state.