Yoorrook Welcomes New Commissioner Travis Lovett

Kerrupmara Gunditjmara Traditional Owner Travis Lovett has been appointed as a Commissioner of the Yoorrook Justice Commission. 

Commissioner Lovett has extensive experience working to improve the rights and lives of Aboriginal people, including across several Victorian Government departments, in youth services, justice and the not-for-profit sector.  

Commissioner Lovett maintains a strong connection with his Community and culture, and holds a deep knowledge of the history of First Peoples in Victoria. 

Commissioner Lovett has held senior leadership roles in the Victorian Public Service, including as Executive Director and Acting Deputy Secretary, First Peoples State Relations, at the Department of Premier and Cabinet. He played key role in supporting Victoria to progress and implement Treaty and Truth telling.  

In government, Commissioner Lovett also worked extensively supporting the rights of Traditional Owners across Victoria and in the protection of cultural heritage.  

Commissioner Lovett was instrumental in the development and implementation of many government strategies and long-term governance and partnership arrangements between Community and the Victorian Government that have, among other things, led to greater alignment of self-determination in the creation of new strategies, policies and initiatives.  

He also played a key role in the expansion and reform of the Magistrates’ and Children’s Koori Courts across Victoria. 

Commissioner Lovett has previously held board member positions within community organisations and worked at the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI), where he advocated for better rights for Aboriginal young people. 

Commissioner Lovett “brings significant professional experience, depth of cultural knowledge and connection to community,” said Yoorrook Justice Commission Chair Eleanor Bourke AM. 

“As a Victorian Traditional Owner with extensive experience, Commissioner Lovett’s insights will be invaluable to Yoorrook as the Commission builds its recommendations to right the wrongs of the past,” she said.  

“I welcome Commissioner Lovett to Yoorrook and look forward to his contribution.” 

Public Truth-Telling Hearings 

Upcoming Hearings - Community Voices and Government Witnesses

From 1-10 March, Yoorrook will listen to First Peoples who have experienced injustice in the child protection and criminal justice systems. 

Commissioners will hear from parents whose children have been removed, carers and members of the Stolen Generations. The Commission will also listen to evidence from First Peoples who have been involved in the adult and youth criminal justice systems and their families.  

Then from 20 to 31 March, Yoorrook will hold hearings to question government officials about injustice against First Peoples in the child protection and criminal justice systems and ways to address it. Witnesses will include government ministers and senior departmental officials as well as representatives of Victoria Police and Corrections Victoria.  

The hearings will explore issues including: 

• the reasons why the Victorian Government is removing children from First Peoples’ families and communities at the worst rate in the country 

• the need for reform of bail laws to stop people being unnecessarily imprisoned in pre-trial detention 

• Victoria’s age of criminal responsibility and how it impacts on First Peoples 

• police accountability systems 

• the push for genuine self-determination in child protection and criminal justice systems 

• ways to address systemic injustice in child protection and criminal justice systems. 

Please note that due to the nature of the evidence, a number of these hearings will be held in closed sessions, during which the livestream will be turned off. Please check the Yoorrook website for more information.   

December 2022 Hearings Featuring Expert & Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation Witnesses  

^{Dr Jacynta Krakouer from Monash University (L) and Karinda Taylor from First Peoples’ Health and Wellbeing (R) appear before the Commission}

Yoorrook finished 2022 with two weeks of public hearings in December. Around fifty witnesses, including leaders and experts from ACCOs, universities and the wider First Peoples’ community gave evidence about systemic injustice in the child protection and criminal justice systems. 

Commissioners heard first-hand accounts of the devastating lifelong impacts of child removal - both historic and ongoing – on children, their families and their Community.

Witnesses told Commissioners about the lack of understanding and respect amongst Child Protection staff for Aboriginal family structures and approaches to raising children, and the strength that being raised in family and community gives Aboriginal children. Commissioners heard that too often, child protection staff are quick to jump to removing children, because Aboriginal families do not always fit white, middle-class assumptions.    

Witnesses also highlighted the deeply concerning cycle of many Aboriginal children entering the child protection system, then moving into the youth justice system, then the adult criminal justice system. 

Commissioners heard truths about First Peoples being incarcerated for crimes of poverty, as well as the disproportionate use of tasers and strip searches of First People, including children, by police. 

^{Commissioners listening to evidence presented by Victoria Legal Aid} 

Witnesses called for genuine self-determination for First Peoples, and widespread reform of both the child protection and criminal legal systems to address the injustices faced by First Peoples. 

^{(L-R) Nakia Firebrace from VACCA, Karin Williams from VACSAL, Coree Thorpe and Alan Thorpe from Dardi Munwurro give evidence before the Commission}

Commissioners expressed deep thanks to the witnesses for telling their truths and helping grow the evidence base that Yoorrook needs to make strong recommendations for change to the Victorian government. 

You can watch recordings of the hearings into child protection and read the evidence presented by witnesses here:  

You can watch recordings of the hearings into criminal justice and read the evidence presented by witnesses here:

If you missed the previous public hearings you can view them all on our hearings page

Truth Telling Submissions

Make a Submission

Yoorrook invites all Victorian First Peoples to tell their truth by making a submission to the Commission. 

You can make a submission online or with the assistance of a Yoorrook Truth Receiver. To work with a Truth Receiver, please email enquires@yoorrook.org.au or call 1800 YOO RRK.  

^{Yoorrook Truth Receivers (L-R) Joseph Saunders, Lisa Thorpe, Shayne Morrall and Tara Fry} 

In your submission, you can share the truth about any injustice you like. For example, truths about: 

• your local area 

• your family's experiences 

• experiences of racism, forced removal from home and land, massacres, forced labour, cultural loss, intergenerational trauma, economic disadvantage and stolen wealth 

• acts of resistance and resilience 

Yoorrook will use the truths and experiences shared with the Commission to make recommendations for reform and create a new public record of the impacts of colonisation on First Peoples.  

Support Available

Yoorrook has a range of support available to people wanting to tell their truth.  

In addition to support available from Truth Receivers, Yoorrook offers free, confidential and safe social and emotional wellbeing services. Support might be a one-off yarn, ongoing counselling as you go through the truth telling process or connecting you with other services in your community.  

Social and emotional wellbeing support is completely led by you. You can get support before, during and after you tell your truth. Find out more about Yoorrook’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing services. 

Yoorrook also offers a free, confidential legal service that can give you advice about sharing your truth safely. The Lotjpa Legal Service is independent of Yoorrook and Victoria Legal Aid and the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service. Legal support is optional, and you can choose which provider you work with. Find out more about Lotjpa legal service.   

Read Submissions

To help all Victorians understand First Peoples’ experiences of injustice, Yoorrook is publishing the submissions it receives on its website, with the consent of the person or group making the submission. You can read the submissions published so far here.  

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and pay our respect to them, their culture and their Elders past and present.