First Peoples

European settlement excluded First Peoples from traditional places and disrupted cultural and kinship systems. Roads, railways, ports and telegraph lines were built without agreement. This dispossession caused social exclusion and ongoing disadvantage for Aboriginal Victorians. Its effects continue today, shaping access to land, services and opportunities.

Victoria’s Aboriginal population is growing at more than double the rate of the broader population. Aboriginal Victorians already need more homes to meet existing demand. They will also need more healthcare and other services. These services need culturally safe infrastructure. This means places that respect and protect First Peoples needs, identities, histories and humanity.