WELCOME TO COUNTY TALK: YORTA YORTA TRADITIONAL OWNERS JOINT MANAGEMENT BOARD,
WORKSHOP, MORNING GLORY, 10-12 DECEMBER, 2015
Welcome to Country- all those parties who are part of the Traditional Owner Land Management
Board and the Joint Management process.
Acknowledge ancestors, elders, family groups past and present and pay respect to all those who
are at peace in the Ancestral lands and elsewhere. Pay tribute to our ancestor’s contribution to
the Yorta Yorta Struggle for fundamental and inherent rights and to retain our unique identity as a
nation of people who have held onto our connections with the Ancestral lands- forest wetlands.
No euphemistic phrases like the Tide of History will every change or take away that reality.
SILENCE
Highlight the TOLMA Agreement, 2010: recognises the Yorta Yorta as the Traditional Owner group
of the land and the Yorta Yorta Nation as the Traditional Owner Group entity representing the
Family Groups of the Yorta Yorta Nation. It also recognise the human rights of the Yorta Yorta to
retain their identity and culture and to practice and enjoy their culture as enshrined in sec. 19, of
the ‘Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities’.
The Traditional Owner Land Management Agreement sets out the key objectives and provisions of
the Joint Management Plan, and the opportunities and benefits that the plan will provide for
Traditional Owners and the broader community. It endorses an equitable partnership between the
State and the Yorta Yorta people. Recognises Yorta Yorta culture, knowledge and skills in the
decision and policy making process. And it provides for equality of opportunity in management
and employment issues-see Sections 16.2, 2.2, 2.3 TOLMA.
Developing a greater awareness of Yorta Yorta aspirations, culture, traditions and connections
with the ancestral lands is one of the key challenges of this Workshops Purpose and Goals.
The challenge of developing a suitable Joint Management program for a ‘Forest Wetland’ of such
worldly natural and cultural significance are many to say the least. Some guiding principles are
available from existing JM models.
Being on the same page in holistic and lateral thinking and the inclusion of Indigenous ideology of
land management practices in the decision and policy making process, are integral to successful
JMAs. Creating a vision that will ensure proper and more inclusive management of the Forest
Wetlands for the benefit of future generations is part of the process. Innovation (catch cry word in
Government Policy direction) the act of introducing new ideas and methods is also relevant to the
thinking required for developing efficient, holistic and longer term management policies.
Must also remember that Management plans are not set in concrete but are evolving processes
that are continually under review so that each plan can benefit from the experience of others for
the improvement of future Management Plans. There are many JM models in Australia that
illustrate the evolving nature of this process. Give example of Kakadu when I visited there 1982
Yorta Yorta.
These are some of challenges of developing a successful Management structure and the vision
required to achieve the desired outcomes of the Yorta Yorta Traditional Owners Land
Management Board. They are the underpinning issues that will be discussed over the next couple
of days. Ill now hand over to the Workshop Organisers to elaborate on what we would like to
achieve over the next few days.
Thank You