Fake letters claiming to be from indigenous group circulate in north-west Victoria

The false letters, claiming to be from Barengi Gadjin Land Council chair and assembly member of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria Dylan Clarke, were sent out in the Boort district in the state's North Central region.

The letters, written on First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria letterheads, made a number of false claims about potential indigenous reacquisition of privately owned land, seemingly in a bid to create further angst in agricultural regions already spooked by high-profile controversies surrounding changes to farming regulations such as the proposed changes to the WA cultural heritage act.

Mr Clarke described the fake letters as a deliberate attack on the push for a Victorian Treaty.

""We're trying to have constructive conversations in the community and 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," he said.

He said the letter writers had preyed on unfounded community fears that Treaty could lead to compulsory acquisition of private property.

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

"It's real 'coming after your backyard' bull dust."

In light of the damaging fake letters the First Peoples' Assembly urged people to seek information from trusted sources if they had doubts about the veracity of material they had seen.

Assembly co-chair, Ngarra Murray said the lies peddled in the letter highlighted the enormity of the task of educating people about what a Treaty would mean for them.

"This is what we are up against, outright lies and deception," she said.

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

Ms Murray confirmed the letters had been referred to police.

Mr Clarke said the letters were the exact opposite of what Treaty was about.

"Treaty is about finding better ways to work together and making sure Aboriginal knowledge and culture can be respected and shared and used to care for country and help our communities thrive."

He said he wanted to encourage discussion on the topic in rural communities.

"My door is always open and I'm always up for a yarn."

Ms Murray said the Assembly will support Mr Clarke, a Wotjobaluk man and representative of the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwajali, Jadwaa, Wergaia and Jupagulk clans of the Wimmera-Mallee region, and work with him and the local community to write genuine letters to locals explaining the facts and unfolding the process for Treaty.

The First Peoples' Assembly is the elected representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria.