We acknowledge Aboriginal people in Victoria and their ongoing strength in practising the world’s oldest living cultures. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters on which we live and work and pay our respect to their Elders past and present.
We recognise that from time immemorial, Aboriginal people have practised their law and lore, customs and languages, and nurtured Country through their spiritual, cultural, material and economic connections to land, water and resources.
We acknowledge that the long-lasting, far-reaching and intergenerational consequences of the dispossession of Aboriginal people of their Country are a direct result of colonisation. This history, and the systems it gave rise to, continue to harm Aboriginal people today. It is only through true self-determination that we can begin to right the wrongs of the past.
We acknowledge the strength and resilience of Aboriginal people in the face of historical and ongoing injustices, and the survival of their living cultures, knowledge and traditions.
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