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Yoorrook Justice Commission
Issue No.23, February 2025
What Yoorrook is up to in 2025, Walk for Truth, the true path forward and more.
Read all about Yoorrook's work for truth, understanding and transformation.
What is Yoorrook up to in 2025?
As Victoria's first formal truth-telling process, Yoorrook Justice Commission represents a commitment to understanding our shared history so we can build a better shared future together.
With major hearing blocks and submissions now closed, since Yoorrook's establishment in 2021, so far it has:
- Engaged with about 9,000 First Peoples.
- Received more than 1,300 submissions.
- Held 67 public hearing days with 229 witnesses.
- Held more than 400 events.
- Received around 10,000 documents.
With this all this achieved so far, find out what is next for Yoorrook in 2025.
Join Yoorrook's Walk for Truth
Yoorrook Justice Commission invites you to be part of the Walk for Truth from Portland to Parliament this May and June.
Everyone is invited to join when Yoorrook Deputy Chair Travis Lovett, Kerrupmara Gunditjmara, walks from Portland, where colonisation began, to Parliament, where we can transform the future.
This powerful journey aims to bring everyone together to walk toward truth, celebrate the strength and resistance of Aboriginal people, and be proud to have the oldest living culture in the world as ours.
As Victoria’s first formal truth-telling process, over the past four years Yoorrook has heard from people right across the state on the impacts of colonisation and the strength, resistance and achievements of First Peoples.
The walk is a chance to build shared understanding of these truths, talking together about our history, while walking together to transform our future. For First Peoples and for all Victorians.
Will you join Yoorrook on the Walk for Truth?
True Path Forward
Through Yoorrook, meaning 'truth' in Wamba Wamba language, Victorians have shared their truths on the impacts of colonisation and the strength, resistance and achievements of First Peoples.
Now we invite you to listen and learn from the powerful evidence Yoorrook has heard.
We can't change the truth of our past, but by accepting and understanding it, we can walk together toward a better shared future. For First Peoples and for all Victorians.
Recent news and stories
In light of new data, experts ask how can Indigenous child removal rates be getting worse?
In Victoria, despite a number of 'progressive' reforms around Indigenous self-determination the removal of Aboriginal children continues to increase.
Yoorrook Deputy Chair Sue-Anne Hunter said it was clear the child protection system in Victoria was "failing First Peoples".
"Yoorrook Commissioners have provided the Victorian government with a roadmap to reform the system and end the injustice against our people," Commissioner Hunter told National Indigenous Times.
"As First Peoples of these lands with an ongoing connection to Country that goes back tens of thousands of years, it is heartbreaking to know our children are still being taken from us in large numbers.”
1965 Freedom Ride
In the 1965 Freedom Ride, Arrernte man Charles Perkins led a group of university students across NSW to shine a light on injustice, segregation and racism faced by Aboriginal people in regional NSW.
Attracting national and international media attention, the group stirred public debate across the country.
"The problem is out in the open now," Mr Perkins said.
30 years on from the Freedom Ride, Yoorrook takes a look back at this powerful moment in history.
Passing of the Constitution
The passing of the Constitution enabled Australia’s six British colonies to become one nation, the Commonwealth of Australia, on 1 January 1901.
However the Constitution didn’t acknowledge the long history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.
124 years after its passing, we reflect that First Peoples are still not recognised in the Australian Constitution.
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We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and pay our respect to them, their culture and their Elders past and present.
