Victoria's Aboriginal people are a step closer to justice following the passage of historic treaty legislation through state parliament, Premier Daniel Andrews says.
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The bill passed by the upper house on Thursday night allows for the creation of a representative body - elected by Aboriginal Victorians - by mid-2019, to help design a framework for treaty negotiations.
"We've taken a massive step overnight towards being not only properly reconciled with Aboriginal Victorians, but to give them justice," Mr Andrews said on Friday.
"To give them what they have long-campaigned for - and that is a voice, an opportunity to be heard, an opportunity for the wrongs of the past to be acknowledged and a better, more unified path, walked together, in partnership for the future."
Treaty Advancement Commissioner Jill Gallagher said while the road ahead would be lengthy and at times challenging, she was confident no one would be left out.
"It's about that true recognition. It's about truth-telling. It is about reparation, it has to be about reparation," she told ABC radio.
"We all have different points of view, not only in the Aboriginal community but also in the white community and also in government.
"The representative body, their task is to set up this treaty framework but their other task is to bring along the community with them."
The treaty process has been years in the making, involving consultations with more than 7500 Aboriginal Victorians.
The Greens supported the legislation through the parliament but pushed for greater recognition of individual clans.
Party leader Samantha Ratnam failed to get up several amendments on Thursday, including changing the term "Aboriginal Victorians" to "clans and first nations" in clause one of the bill.
The Greens' Aboriginal Affairs spokeswoman Lidia Thorpe said she welcomed the bill's passage but would continue to push for clan sovereignty to be recognised as the process moved forward.
The bill will go to Legislative Assembly when parliament resumes in late July as a formality before being signed off by the governor.
The coalition did not support the bill because it believed a treaty should be done at a national level instead.
Australian Associated Press
