Indigenous truth-telling efforts ‘not going away’ as key figures call for inquiries after Yoorrook Commission bombshell
More than two centuries after colonization, a commission describing the truth decided that systemic racism is still shaping the lives of the first nations in Victoria.
Recently, the Yoorrook report for costs for expenses is the result of a multi -year “truth -narrative” process that finds systemic discrimination in policing, custody, child care and education systems.
Following the publication of the report, the key figures from all over the country, the national appetite for authentic, authorized first nations voices at the center of the process of explaining the truth, and what this process could resemble in every state and region.
What does the truth tell?
Describing the truth is the process in which historical and ongoing injustices against the first countries are cataloged for public records, especially in cases where these records are largely excluded from common discourse.
In Australia, the real narrative typically involves the collection of evidence through a royal commission or a similar authorized organ.
Queensland
In Queensland, after years of preparation, in 2023, a two -party support was established with a “a healing investigation that describes the truth”.
In May 2023, David Crisafulli, the leader of Opposition at that time, enabled the Queensland parliament to express his enthusiasm for the “Treaty Law Route olarak that would make a legislation for explaining the truth and creating a healing investigation.
“The road to the Treaty is a real opportunity for our state to improve the lives of the indigenous Australians,” Crisafulli said.
“An opportunity that I believe in Queensland must embrace it heartily.”
Only five months later, after the unsuccessful audio referendum, Mr. Crisaful changed his melody, claiming that the search for treaty and truth would lead to “more division and uncertainty, and promised that the LNP government would repel the way of the Treaty Law.
After winning Queenslanders in October 2024, LNP did a favor in the promise of Mr. Crisafulli and took care of the government for six years in less than a month.
Waanyi and Kalkadoon Man, Attorney Joshua Creamer were the president of the telling and healing investigation at the time of abandonment.
“There was a six -year counseling and participation process that caused an investigation. Consulting the community and the government and then the implementation of very special legislation,” he said.
“We were working. We started to hear evidence, we started to accept the applications. We heard evidence from the witnesses and director generals and the police commissioner of Achorijin, and even prepared our first report.
“Absolutely a lot happened when we were removed then.”
Mr. Creamer said LNP’s decision suddenly came and took the employees on the investigation with almost completely surprise.
“He was certainly a challenging in the last three or four weeks, but he was also surprising in terms of lack of participation and the level of despise ministers’ described in the investigation,” he said.
“I still haven’t talked to the Premier or Minister about why these events were done as they were done. Not only for the investigation, but for the six -year period that led to the establishment of the establishment.”
However, MR Creamer continues to be optimistic.
“Towards the end of the investigation, I was really surprised how many non -domestic organizations and institutions have spoken to support the need for the realization process,” he said.
“It will always continue to be a desire for the realization of this process. This may mean that we expect a change in the government for the realization of this change.
“Yoorrook’s success is now a good show of the importance of the process. This will not disappear.”
New South Wales
In the new Southern Wales, the narrative of truth immediately received the rear seat to lead to consultations of the treaty.
In September 2024, the Minns government was appointed by the government of Minns to take over a year of consultation by the Minns government to understand whether there was appetite for a treaty and whether it could be included in the process.
At that time, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty, David Harris, said that the appointment of commission members was “the center in the process of making Aboriginal people in the process of treating and agreement.
“When we listen to the needs of people and communities, we get better results when we listen to the needs of people and communities.
Sue Higgins, a member of the NSW Legislative Council, manages the portfolio of justice and inheritance of the first nations of the state greens. Yoorrook told Yoorrook how he set up the plan for the narrative of truth in states and regions.
Higgins, “controversial has been one of the best processes to date,” he said.
“The leadership of the first nations around Yoorrook was incredible, and the power of this process was very challenging.”
Despite the achievements in Victoria, Mrs Higgins said that NSW was “incredibly slow” in explaining or maintaining any truth or continuing the treaty process.
“The Minns Labor Party government came to power in 2023 with the promise that they would start the agreement process in the New Southern Wales, and when the sound referendum failed, he said.
“This was a frightening period in NSW and I think it should be very shocking for people.”
Treaty Commissioners: Aden Ridgeway, a Gumbaynggirr man, experienced a “long and distinguished service career ına to the people and wider society to the people and the wider society. A respected first nations leader, politics -making and strategic thinkers. NSW government Credit: Given
Treaty Commissioners: Victoria’s former LGBTIQ+ Commissioner. Todd Fernando focuses on navigating in “complex social and political landscapes”. Academic and practical experience leads to a progressive change. NSW government Credit: Given
Treaty Commissioners: Naomi Moran is a Nyangbal and Arawkwal woman from the Bundjalung country of North NSW, and it is also connected to the Dunghutti nation of the NSW on the middle shore. Former Coori Mail CEO Naomi has a comprehensive career in the indigenous media and a strong intimacy of the base communities in NSW. NSW government Credit: GivenMs. Higgins said that the steps taken to appoint the Treaty Commissioners were positive, but ultimately, at least until the consultations reach a conclusion-it was unclear to explain the agenda.
“It is interesting that a real process of real process sits in it, because the NSW government narrative really does not talk about the truth… Some may be worried for some, but frankly you cannot determine a result in advance.”
“At the end of this consultation, it is still a clear question where to tell the truth.”
Regions
Between 2019-2023, the North region had a significant consultation period to create a way of treating a part of the process of explaining the truth.
At the beginning of 2023, the NT government announced that the Aboriginal translator service (AIS) would begin to register the truth to explain the truth, and in 2024, the government began to distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of grants to facilitate the truth.
In 2025, the country’s Liberal Party (CLP) left the path to explaining the truth with an agreement and power of attorney.
The Australian Capital Region has no official narrative process.
Southern Australia, WA and Tasmania
Southern Australia made the parliamentary voices of the first nations, but no clear promise has not yet been made from a process that describes the truth.
A joint project was launched in 2020, although there is no official process of explaining the truth in WA, and the WA government, known as the “Wadjemup Project”.
The project revealed the date of imprisonment of Aboriginal and forcing the abolition of childhood in WA.
Tasmania chose to go through a process similar to NSW by assigning an organ that will undertake a process similar to NSW commissioners, but focusing on explaining the truth instead of the treaty.
