The College warmly congratulates Dr Petah Atkinson, Thelma Austin, Jidah Clark, Andrew Jackomos PSM, and Duean White on their historic appointment as the five inaugural members of the Treaty Authority.
The new appointees will oversee the historic Treaty negotiations expected to begin in Victoria next year and will help negotiating parties navigate the conversations required to realise Treaty in Victoria.
All five Treaty Authority Members are First Peoples and bring diverse expertise, skills and experience to their new roles:
- Dr Petah Atkinson: A Yorta Yorta woman and esteemed health researcher.
- Thelma Austin: A Gunditjmara woman with significant corporate and legal experience.
- Jidah Clark: A Djab Wurrung man and policy expert.
- Andrew Jackomos: A Yorta Yorta man with extensive government experience.
- Duean White: A Biripi woman with diverse experience in corporate, legal, government, and not-for-profit sectors.
With bipartisan support, the Treaty Authority is the first body of its kind in Australia and will observe and uphold Aboriginal Lore, Law and cultural authority to ensure Victoria’s Treaty process is fair for all parties involved.
For full details on the appointed members and their roles, please refer to the official media release.
Note: Photo from First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria's website.