The History Council of Victoria Incorporated (HCV) is the peak body for history in Victoria.
Through its activities, the HCV encourages the understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of history, and aims to raise the profile of history with decision-makers and the wider community. Its detailed purposes are listed below.
The HCV was established in 2001 as a public advisory body to support and promote history in Victoria. It comprises representatives from a wide range of arts, heritage and educational organisations.
Statement on a First Nations Voice to Parliament
Our vision
Connecting Victorians with history and inspiring engagement with the past, their identity and the world today
Our values
We encourage excellence through all that we say and do
We respect diversity
We recognise that history can be written about any place, any person, any period
We celebrate the work of historians
We value historically significant places and objects
We value the records that provide evidence for historians
We value those who maintain living historical traditions and intangible heritage practices
We encourage those who share their experiences through oral histories, thereby creating new forms of evidence of the past
We acknowledge the historical narratives and interpretations shaped by writers, producers and artists and revealed through all forms of scholarly and creative media
We congratulate the teachers who encourage the pursuit of history and foster a life-long love of learning in this field
We believe that the study of history contributes to work readiness and job satisfaction, and that the best decisions draw on historical knowledge
Statement on a First Nations Voice to Parliament
The History Council of Victoria is the peak body for history in Victoria, comprising representatives from cultural and educational institutions and heritage bodies. The HCV advocates the importance of historical literacy in a well-educated citizenry. The study of the past and telling its stories are critical to our sense of belonging, to our communities and to our shared future. The history of all places and times is our concern, but we use our public programs and the Lynette Russell Award to highlight knowledge of First Peoples’ histories.
As a body of institutional representatives across the fields of history, historical records, history teaching and heritage, the HCV notes the profound importance of the referendum concerning a First Peoples’ Voice to Parliament. Our engagement with the history of this land is the basis for our support for the aspirations in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and our view that First Peoples must be recognised in our Constitution. We acknowledge that First Peoples lands were seized without formal cession or treaty, and that survival despite often deliberate discrimination is a daily reminder of both extreme disadvantage and the strength of Indigenous cultures.
This response is supported by a majority of individual Board members but does not necessarily represent the views of all of the institutions they represent.