First Peoples - State Relations

Meet Aunty Jemmes Handy PSM, who was inducted to the 14th Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll.

Aunty Jemmes began her career as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer at Mildura Base Hospital, where she served for more than 20 years.

In 2006, Aunty Jemmes joined Victoria Police as an Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer, a role she held until 2023.

Over many years, Aunty Jemmes has contributed to a wide range of community initiatives, including youth programs, community organisations, and justice advisory groups.

In every role, she has focused on practical, community-led solutions and bringing people together.

Aunty Jemmes’s induction to the Honour Roll recognises a lifetime of extraordinary service. Her legacy is one of courage, compassion and unwavering dedication to community.



📸TJ Garvie

This post contains the name and image of a person who has passed away.

Dr Destiny Deacon was inducted posthumously to the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll this year.

A descendant of the KuKu and Erub/Mer peoples, Destiny Deacon was the second-born child to Aunty Eleanor Harding and Warren Deacon.

Throughout her long and influential artistic career, Destiny Deacon remained an activist, an educator, and a trailblazer for LGBTQIA+ rights.

Globally recognised and locally celebrated, Destiny Deacon’s ability to satirise racism challenged audiences and changed conversations.

A proud sister, loving partner and Aunty, Destiny's life and work speak to the power of community and the importance of truth-telling.

Destiny Deacon’s legacy is one of pride, creativity and empowerment, which continues to inspire her family, her community and artists around the world.



📸TJ Garvie

Big congratulations to Zaachariaha Fielding! 🖤💛❤️

His artwork Paralpi has been selected as the official poster for National NAIDOC Week 2026.

A proud Yankunytjatjara man from the APY Lands in South Australia, Zaachariaha is recognised as one of Australia’s leading contemporary First Nations artists and musicians.

Paralpi is a vibrant reflection of movement, energy and continuity, carrying forward the stories of Ancestors while celebrating the creativity and cultural strength of the next generation. Rich in colour and meaning, the work speaks to the enduring strength of First Peoples over 50 years of NAIDOC and beyond.

We can’t wait to hang it up on our wall!

📺You can watch the Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service live from 11 am Sunday 31 May.

The Aboriginal Remembrance Service commemorates the significant contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service people have made, and continue to make, in the Australian Defence Force.

Shrine of Remembrance

Thousands gathered at the Royal Exhibition Building earlier this month for the 125th Anniversary of the Commonwealth Parliament.

Formal proceedings were followed by two days of free public events including guided tours and cultural performances.

An exhibition of artefacts and artworks were on show from the original 1901 celebrations, including the carriage used by the Duke of Cornwall and York, and Charles Nuttall's painting of the opening of the first Australian parliament.

One of only four official copies of the Victorian Statewide Treaty document was also on public display for the first time since its signing, alongside ‘Yoorrook Truth be Told’.

‘Yoorrook Truth be Told’ is the Official Public Record of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Australia’s first formal truth-telling process. It provides an account of the history of the State of Victoria from the start of colonisation. It helps us understand our history from the perspective of Aboriginal people, how it impacts on their present, and how Treaty can be the pathway to practical solutions.

Melbourne Museum 📸Tom Breakwell

🖤💛❤

Meet Kylie Belling, a highly respected leader in the arts who was inducted onto the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll this year.

The first Aboriginal graduate of the Victorian College of Arts and a founding member of ILBIJERRI theatre company, Kylie Belling has laid a path for First Peoples’ stories to be told by First Nations creators.

She has performed in theatre, film and television, starring in ‘The Fringe Dwellers’, 'The Flying Doctors’, ‘Prisoner', ‘Redfern Now', 'The Sapphires’ and more.

Her work has elevated First Nations cultural representation across the country and has brought First Peoples voices into the homes of everyday Australians.

Alongside her career in the arts, Kylie has worked with community and government in the First Peoples space for more than 30 years.

As a proud mother, recent grandmother, advocate, creative and change-maker, Kylie built foundations and laid pathways for First Peoples creators and performers around Australia.



📸TJ Garvie

National Reconciliation Week this year is calling on you to be “All In” - because reconciliation is everyone’s business, every day.

This week is a time to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and explore how we can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

In Victoria, we are committed to building a stronger shared future for all Victorians through our work on Treaty and truth-telling.

This work lays the foundations for a strengthened relationship between the State and First Peoples and fosters a deeper understanding of our shared history.

Held from 27 May to 3 June each year, the week is bookended by two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey – the successful 1967 referendum on 27 May and the High Court Mabo decision on 3 June 1992.

Keen to get involved? Follow the link in comments to find out more.

Reconciliation Victoria Reconciliation Australia

Every year on National Sorry Day we acknowledge the enormous harm caused to First Nations people who were forcibly removed from their family, community, culture and Country.

It is an opportunity for all Australians to reflect on the strength of Stolen Generations members, and the pain and intergenerational trauma caused by these past actions.

The Victorian Government provides resources, services and support to help Stolen Generations members and their families in recognition of the lasting impacts caused by forced removal from their families.

Follow the link in comments to find out more about services available to Stolen Generations members.

The Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service is this Sunday.

The Aboriginal Remembrance Service commemorates the significant contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service people have made, and continue to make, in the Australian Defence Force.

📅11 am, Sunday 31 May 2026

📍Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne VIC, Australia, Bunurong Country

The service is a chance for all Victorians to pay their respects during National Reconciliation Week.