Acknowledgement
Ports Victoria Acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the Aboriginal Countries now known as Victoria. Their care for Countries, Skies and Waterways extends back tens of thousands of years and remains unbroken today.
As the agency responsible for Victoria’s commercial port waters, Ports Victoria Acknowledges the role that ports and shipping have played in the establishment of colonies and towns that displaced Aboriginal Peoples. This is a complex history that we are committed to exploring and better understanding over time.
We Acknowledge the unique spiritual and cultural significance of land, water and all that is in the environment to Traditional Owners, and recognise their continuing connection to, and aspirations for Country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
Action Plan
We are committed to building relationships with Traditional Owner groups and First Peoples connected to Victorian ports and marine waters and working toward a shared understanding of the historic and future role of ports in Victoria’s history.
We are proud to have developed our inaugural First Peoples Action Plan 2024 – 2026 [link to document], we are committed to working towards aligning to the principle of self-determination for all First Peoples of Victoria and finding ways to increase employment and business opportunities in the port sector.
