Victoria’s First People’s Assembly sat for the first time last week, with the Doric colonnade of Parliament House welcoming a veritable corroboree of Aboriginal representatives, activists and self-appointed traditional owners from across the state.  

The venerable halls of the Victorian Legislative Council were decked with eucalyptus branches, wooden vessels and possum pelts adorned with the Assembly’s logo, the portraits of past Victorian statesmen looked on as their old seats were taken up by the 21 elected and 11 appointed members of the new, Aboriginal-only assembly. 

The stated purpose of the Assembly is to create an Aboriginal representative body with the sovereign power to negotiate...