Yoorrook Given Twelve-Month Extension 

^{(L-R Commissioner the Hon Kevin Bell AM KC, Commissioner Travis Lovett, Chair Professor Eleanor Bourke AM, Deputy Chair Adjunct Professor Sue-Anne Hunter, Commissioner Distinguished Professor Maggie Walter)} 

The Yoorrook Justice Commission will now run until June 2025 after being granted a 12-month extension by the Victorian Government. 

The extension provides vital additional time for Yoorrook to gather evidence on the systemic injustice faced by First Peoples in Victoria. This includes making bold recommendations for transformational change, including to support Victoria’s treaty making process. 

The Victorian Government also granted a two-month extension for Yoorrook to deliver its critical issues report on the Commission’s current inquiry into systemic injustice within the child protection and criminal justice systems. The report is now due at the end of August 2023. 

“This extension is critical for Yoorrook to deliver on its historic mandate to make bold and transformative recommendations that address the systemic injustices faced by First Peoples in Victoria," said Yoorrook Chair Professor Eleanor Bourke AM.

"The extension is not everything Yoorrook asked for, but it is significant and provides important certainty over the future of the Commission.”

“An essential part of Yoorrook’s work is to build a shared understanding of the true history of our State, as well as the ongoing, and often devastating, impact of colonisation on First Peoples. Every witness, and every story is important. I take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to Yoorrook’s rich evidence base so far,” Chair Bourke continued. 

“These are unprecedented times in Victoria with strong progress relating to Truth and Treaty. In many respects Victoria is leading the nation. The Yoorrook Justice Commission looks forward to making a significant contribution to the history of Victoria.” 

Directions Hearings

^{(Commissioners at the directions hearing)} 

Senior bureaucrats and Ministers had been scheduled to give evidence to Yoorrook during hearings commencing Monday 27 March, as part of Yoorrook’s inquiry into systemic injustice experienced by First Peoples in Victoria’s criminal justice and child protection systems.  

Those hearings were delayed after the Victorian Government failed to meet deadlines to produce evidence as directed by Yoorrook. Yoorrook called a directions hearing on 27 March regarding the government’s non-compliance, and held a follow up directions hearing on 4 April.  

During the hearings, Yoorrook Commissioners reflected on the State’s responsiveness to date. Yoorrook Chair Eleanor Bourke stated:

“The State’s response over the past few weeks demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the truth telling process...This is a truth telling commission, not a typical royal commission. Truth telling does not just mean asking First Peoples to tell their truths and once again share their pain and heartache for everyone else’s benefit. The State must also engage in truth telling. This means not falling back on legal process to avoid truth telling about the treatment of First Peoples under key policies and programs.  

Truth telling does not mean focusing solely on historic injustices that can be brushed aside as a product of past mistakes. Yoorrook is specially charged with inquiring into ongoing systemic injustices perpetrated by State-Entities and Non-State Entities against First Peoples. The State must be willing to provide the materials required for a proper accounting of current laws, policies and practices that perpetuate these injustices and do so in a timely way.” 

Hearings with government witnesses are now likely to start at the end of April 2023. Dates will be advertised on the Yoorrook website and social media accounts as they are confirmed. The hearings will be open for the public to attend at level 9, 54 Wellington St Collingwood and livestreamed via the Yoorrook website and Facebook page. 

Community Voice Hearings 

From 1-9 March, Yoorrook heard from First Peoples who have first-hand experience of injustice in the child protection and criminal justice systems. More than 15 witnesses appeared before the Commission in a combination of public, closed and pre-recorded hearing sessions. 

Among many issues, witnesses spoke about the impact of child removal on generations of families; loss of connection with kin and culture resulting from child removal; intersections between the child protection and criminal justice systems; and the need to reform police accountability and oversight systems. 

The Commission heard significant evidence about systems that fail the people they are designed to help. Commissioners also heard of strength; of Community that comes together to support each other in hardship; and of recommendations for reform and renewal.  

At the end of the hearings, Aunty Stephanie Charles, who appeared as a witness, reflected powerfully on the importance of truth telling:  

“You know, it's all about the truth-telling. It's about sharing. It's about the caring that our mob have within our hearts. We have got to be strong to make the rest of the State, these organisations that we are telling a truth that's happened to us in our lives. We want to share that.   

But we want to make sure that these things are put on the table and talked about and not bottled up. Because, no more. For too long, things have been covered up and withheld. And we don't have a chance. But we have now, a chance to work in this space like Lisa [Thorpe, Yoorrook Truth Receiver and witness support person] does and her job is to make sure that her mob get heard and her mob get some justice and there's got to be some peace at the end of all that's coming through.   

I know that Commissioners, you fullas must have heard so many different stories about the traumas and the hardships and the heartaches and the equalities that are not met for our mob. There's got to be change. Not lip service. There's got to be change. And we, as Aboriginal people, through doing what we're doing, can make a difference. We want to make a difference.   

But we want you mob to listen. To hear what we're saying. No more bandaids. Those bandaids have been ripped off and put on us for so many years. There's no room for more bandaids. The truth needs to come out. The equality of what we want needs to be heard and it needs to be embedded in each and everyone's heart to say that, you know, we are going to work together. Don't walk in front of me. Don't walk behind me. Walk with me. To build that relationship. To be strong. To be proud. As an Aboriginal woman, I want people to walk with me.”   

^{Aunty Stephanie Charles and Yoorrook Truth Receiver Lisa Thorpe} 

Hearings Coverage and New Evidence Library on Yoorrook Website

You can catch up on Yoorrook's hearings online by visiting the hearing section of the website. There you can view hearing videos, read transcripts or click on witness profiles to read their statements.  

There is also a recently added evidence library on the website where you can browse the materials published to date or search by witness, evidence type or topic. 

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, Tara Fry, Shanyne Morrall and Lisa Thorpe}

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. You can find out more about Yoorrook’s Social and Emotional Wellbeing services here. 

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 is run by Victoria Legal Aid and the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service. Legal support is optional, and you can choose which provider you work with. You can find out more about Lotjpa here.   

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