Trio elected to represent North East on First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria

North East Victoria has elected its three representatives who will join 19 other general seat elected members from across Victoria, and a further 12 reserved Traditional Owner group members on the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria for the next three years. The independent Treaty Authority on Friday announced successful candidates of the 2026 Treaty elections in Victoria, with Yorta Yorta man Jarvis Atkinson, Yorta Yorta and Wamba Wamba woman Belinda Briggs, and Yorta Yorta man Levi Power of the Dhulanyagan clan - all from Shepparton - elected for the North East region. The Treaty Authority said more First Peoples had nominated as candidates, enrolled and voted in the 2026 elections than in previous ones held in 2019 and 2023. The 2026 elections are the first to be held after the assembly negotiated Australia’s first treaty, which establishes Gellung Warl. The assembly will continue as the representative and decision-making body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria as part of Gellung Warl. Outgoing assembly co-chair Ngarra Murray said 2019 had planted the seeds of Aboriginal democracy in Victoria. "Since then we’ve seen it grow by every measure at every election: more candidates and more people enrolling and voting,” he said. “Fifty percent of people enrolled turned out to vote for the general seats in the 2026 treaty elections and I also want to thank the thousands of Traditional Owners who turned out to vote for their reserved seat representatives. “At a time when people are losing trust with democracy, I am so proud that the number of First Peoples enrolling and voting in the treaty elections keeps going up. "This is a huge achievement when our elections are not compulsory. "We’re the experts on our own lives, we know what does and doesn’t work for our communities, and treaty is how we make the most of our local knowledge to get better outcomes for our people." The newly-elected assembly members will be inducted over the coming weeks and are expected to hold their first official meetings on Dja Dja Wurrung Country in early May, where they will elect new co-chairs and council members.

Trio elected to represent North East on First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria

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