On 13 November 2025, as Buath Gurru (grass-flowering season) brought warm rains to the Merri, Victoria marked an historic first.

The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, members of the Victorian Cabinet and the Governor of Victoria gathered at Government House to sign Australia’s first Treaty between First Peoples and a state government. Merri Creek Management Committee (MCMC) acknowledges the significance of this moment in the very season when Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country is flourishing.

The signing formalises a renewed relationship between the Victorian Government and First Peoples, recognising those communities as ongoing decision-makers on the lands and waters they have cared for over tens of thousands of years. On the Merri Merri – rocky creek Country long tended by Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people – this care is embedded in living practice and deep ecological knowledge.

A key outcome of the landmark Treaty is the establishment of Gellung Warl, a permanent body supporting truth-telling, accountability and democratic representation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Victoria. Gellung Warl will use its functions and powers to action Statewide Treaty reforms – the practical outcomes set out in the Statewide Treaty.

As Ngarra Murray, Co-Chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, said, “Treaty recognises that Aboriginal people are the experts when it comes to our Country, culture and communities – and makes sure we can use our local knowledge to come up with and deliver practical solutions to improve health, education and housing outcomes for our communities.”

Merri Creek Management Committee (MCMC) congratulates the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people – the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters across the Merri catchment – and pays respect to the long, determined path that Elders, advocates and communities have walked to reach this milestone. We celebrate their knowledge, leadership and ongoing connection to Country, which enriches the Merri and the communities along its banks.

MCMC is committed to listening, learning and supporting Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung goals for Country. We are working to deepen this relationship through the drafting of a partnership agreement, engaging respectfully with cultural knowledge, and continuing to seek opportunities to work together. We recognise Wurundjeri seasons as we care for the Merri, and we benefit from partnering with the Narrap Team, part of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, whose ecological expertise helps guide restoration and land management across the catchment.

We also share stories and knowledge about Merri Country through Walks on Country, a program shaped by First Nations practice and understanding. On a walk at Quarry Hills during Reconciliation Week, participants learned about the patterns of she-oaks in Warring season, the volcanic forces that formed the Merri valley, and the long cultural relationships expressed through stone, plants, water and stories. Such experiences reveal what many who live near the creek have never fully seen: an ancient, living landscape that holds the enduring presence of Wurundjeri people and Country.

As First Nations communities across Victoria celebrate this historic Treaty, MCMC looks forward to respectful, ongoing learning from Wurundjeri leadership, contributing to shared goals, and caring for the Merri in ways that honour its custodians past, present and future.