2026 Swinburne Annual Barak Wonga Oration

Swinburne University and the Moondani Toombadool Centre are pleased to invite you to attend the 2026 Swinburne Annual Barak Wonga Oration on Wednesday 7 October at the Hawthorn Arts Centre.

This year’s Oration will be delivered by Ngarra Murray, a proud Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung and Dhudhuroa woman whose leadership is grounded in a strong cultural, political and sporting family legacy.

Ngarra has played a pivotal role in shaping Australia’s most advanced Treaty process. As an inaugural member and former Co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria (2019–2026), Lead Negotiator and signatory to Australia’s first Treaty, she has helped establish the foundations for Treaty-making in Victoria.

Her leadership has supported the design of institutions, frameworks and relationships needed for negotiations between First Peoples and the State. She is widely respected for bringing together cultural authority, political strategy and systems reform to advance Indigenous self-determination, nation-building and structural change.

Today, Ngarra supports Traditional Owner groups, governments, First Nations organisations and institutions to navigate the opportunities of the Treaty era. She provides strategic, cultural and technical advice across all stages of Treaty-making, building capability, cultural intelligence and transformational leadership to support meaningful change.

Her work is guided by a vision of Treaty as a vehicle for self-determination, truth-telling, nation-building and a more just future for First Peoples.

We warmly invite you to join us for this in-person event.