Jidah Clark is a proud Djab Wurrung man with Kirrae Wurrung, Boon Wurrung, Taungurung, Wemba Wemba, and Palawa ancestry. He joins Daniel James to talk about his role as current Chair of the newly established Treaty Authority, an independent body formed to oversee treaty negotiation processes between First Peoples and the state government of Victoria. As the Treaty process nears its final stages where negotiations can actually begin to occur – which has been a very long time coming – the Treaty Authority's role is to ensure an equal playing field between all parties as treaties are a legally binding agreement between two polities.

As Jidah says, "Treaty addresses our relationship with the state and starts to answer some questions about the legality of occupation on these soils by foreign polities."

For more information on the now operational Treaty negotiation framework, head to: https://treatyauthority.au/

There's a whole range of topics that could be covered in a treaty such as: mandating Aboriginal lore, political representation and various forms of recognition, things to do with education and curriculums, service delivery in justice, and more.

One major thing a treaty will deliver is a sense of pride to Victorians: for the first time in the history of this country there's now a formal process and recognition of Traditional Owners and the people of Victoria.

Beyond that, addressing disparity and systemic issues in First Nations communities (such as the overrpresentation of Aboriginal people in prisons), will also have flow-on effects for all people. That is, Treaty benefits everyone.