As we celebrate NAIDOC Week and its focus on the next generation, we reflect on the final reports of Australia's first Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry, the Yoorrook Justice Commission. Driven by the strength of Aboriginal leaders and communities honouring the legacy of their ancestors, this landmark work provides vital direction for a better future.
‘The impact of this profound and historic truth-telling process is hard to overestimate, but will require our ongoing vigilance if its hopeful vision for justice is to be fully realised for First Nations people, especially children and young people’ said Meena Singh, Victoria’s Acting Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, commenting on the tabling of the final reports in the Victorian Parliament last week.
YoorrookTruth be Told is the official public record of Victoria’s history from the start of colonisation. It is the culmination of engagement with more than 9,000 First Nations peoples, 208 witnesses, 65 public hearing days, and more than 1,300 submissions.
Every day at the Commission we see the incredible creativity, strength, and vibrancy of Aboriginal children and young people. We also bear witness to the legacy of colonisation and its devastating impact on many Aboriginal children and young people.
However, the 100 recommendations contained in the Yoorrook for Transformation report, together with the 46 recommendations made in 2023 Yoorrook for Justice report, have the potential to bring about the kind of change that sets the foundation for a better future for First Nations children and their communities.
These include calls for a permanent First Peoples' Assembly with shared decision-making powers and for a treaty framework to address past wrongs and provide redress for genocide, crimes against humanity, and denial of freedoms.
Yoorrook has also recommended urgent reforms in education that would see schools made culturally safe for First Nations children and young people, calling for Aboriginal-authored content across the school curriculum, truth-telling and racism training for educators, and the reform of discipline policies that disproportionately target Aboriginal children.
Yoorrook for Justice called out ongoing systemic issues within the Victorian justice and child protection systems that continue to negatively impact First Nations people. These include the need to place Aboriginal people at the heart of decisions affecting them, a call strongly supported by the Productivity Commission in its work on Closing the Gap.
‘It was my honour to present testimony on these issues at Yoorrook together with Elias from the Commission’s Youth Council,’ Commissioner Singh said.
The Commission acknowledges the significant work to reach the final recommendations. Over the past four years so many people have bravely and generously shared their stories – their truths, hopes and aspirations for a brighter future. These recommendations will guide our own work and advocacy for Aboriginal children and young people.
‘We eagerly await the government’s response to the report and hope that they will accept the report’s recommendations in full, with a clear plan on how they are going to implement this critical work.
‘In the words of Yoorrook Truth be Told, “It's time to let in the light ... so that we might look to the future with clear eyes”,’ Commissioner Singh concluded.