Traditional owner group seeks to negotiate local treaty with Victorian government in state first

The Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation chief executive, Rodney Carter, labelled the move ‘really exciting’. Photograph: Stuart Walmsley/The Guardian

The Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DJAARA) has become the first traditional owner group to seek to negotiate a local treaty with the Victorian government.

The corporation, which represents the Dja Dja Wurrung people, is the first traditional owner group formally entered into a register run by the Treaty Authority – the independent umpire that will oversee negotiations. It is the first step to prepare for a traditional owner treaty negotiation.