“Racist fear-mongering”: Fury over fake Indigenous land coup letter

A Victorian Indigenous body has slammed the distribution of a falsely attributed letter, labelling its contents as “racist fear-mongering”.

Victoria’s First People’s Assembly has slammed the distribution of a falsely attributed letter, labelling its contents as “racist fear-mongering”.

Emblazoned with the assembly’s letterhead, the fake letter states local landowners should take steps to protect their property from being compulsorily acquired by the region’s traditional owners.

The letter was distributed to homes in Boort, approximately 250 km northwest of Melbourne in the Mallee region, and is falsely attributed to assembly member, Wotjobaluk man and representative of the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwajali, Jadwaa, Wergaia, Jupagulk clans, Dylan Clarke.

The letter makes several false claims, which the Assembly said would result in “unfounded fear about the reacquisition of land.”

The Assembly has confirmed that the fake letter has been referred to Victoria Police.

A fake letter attributed to First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria member Dylan Clarke was distributed to landowners in Boort, northwest Victoria. Supplied.

In a statement released by the Assembly, Mr Clarke labelled the distribution of the falsely attributed letter as “terribly sad” and “extremely frustrating”.

“We’re trying to have constructive conversations in the community,” Mr Clarke said, adding “someone is going to extraordinary lengths to poison the goodwill and scare people about all the positive things we can achieve together on the journey to Treaty.”

“The lies in this letter are designed to depict us as something to be afraid of.

“It’s real ‘coming after your backyard’ bullshit.”

The Assembly confirmed that Mr Clarke had since penned his own letter to landowners in an attempt to correct the record.

“I assure you that the information in the fake letter that some residents have received is false. The matter has been referred to the police,” the letter reads.

“It appears that someone has gone to an extraordinary effort to scare people about all the positive things we can achieve together on the journey to Treaty.”

“I want to let you know what is actually happening in terms of Treaty negotiations.”

Describing the false letter as “shameful”, Assembly co-chair, Ngarra Murray said those opposed to Treaty had resorted to illegal and deliberately deceitful tactics.

The Victorian First Peoples’ Assembly, established by legislation in 2018, is designed to negotiate a treaty between the government of Victoria and the state’s Aboriginal people. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“This is what we are up against, outright lies and deception,” Ms Murray said.

“You have to think about why the people against the idea of Treaty or listening to First People feel the need to stoop to such low levels, it’s shameful.

“These are illegal tactics designed to confuse people, when in reality Treaty is going to benefit everyone who calls Victoria home.”

The Victorian First Peoples’ Assembly is a democratically elected body of Victorian Aboriginal people who are currently set to comment negotiations on a statewide Treaty in coming months.