Indigenous truth-telling efforts ‘not going away' as key figures call for inquiries after Yoorrook Commission bombshell

West Australian

3 days ago

More than two centuries after colonisation, a truth-telling commission has delivered its verdict that systemic racism still shapes the lives of First Nations people in Victoria.
The recently tabled Yoorrook for Transformation report is the result of a multi-year 'truth-telling' process, which found systemic discrimination across Victoria's policing, custodial, childcare and education systems.
In the aftermath of the Report's release, key figures from around the country have spoken about the national appetite for authentic, authoritative First Nations voices at the heart of the truth-telling process, and what that process may eventually look like in each state and territory.
What is Truth Telling?
Truth-telling is the process by which historical and ongoing injustices committed against First Nations people are catalogued for public record, particularly in circumstances where those records have largely been left out of common discourse.
Truth-telling in Australia typically involves the gathering of evidence through a Royal Commission or similar authoritative body.
Queensland
In Queensland, a 'Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry' was established with bipartisan support in 2023 after years of preparation.
In May 2023, then-Opposition Leader David Crisafulli addressed Queensland Parliament to express his enthusiasm for the 'Path to Treaty Bill,' which would enact legislation for the creation of the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry.
'Path to Treaty is a genuine opportunity for our state to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians,' Mr Crisafulli said.
'It is an opportunity I believe Queensland should embrace wholeheartedly.'
Just five months later, in the wake of the failed Voice referendum, Mr Crisafulli changed his tune, claiming the pursuit of treaty and truth-telling would lead to 'more division and uncertainty' and promising the LNP government would repeal the Path to Treaty Act if elected.
After the LNP won Queenslanders over in October 2024, Mr Crisafulli made good on his promise, undoing six years of careful preparation in less than a month in government.
Waanyi and Kalkadoon man, barrister-at-law Joshua Creamer, was the Chair of the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry at the time it was abandoned.
'There was a six-year consultation and engagement process that led to the inquiry. It was conducted in consultation with the community and government, and then the implementation of very specific legislation,' Mr Creamer said.
'We were up and running. We had started hearing evidence, we'd started accepting submissions. We heard evidence from Aboriginal witnesses and director-generals and the Commissioner of Police, and we had even produced our first report.
'There was certainly a lot happening at the time that we were abolished.'
Mr Creamer said the LNP's decision came abruptly and took those working on the Inquiry almost completely by surprise.
'Certainly, those last three or four weeks were challenging but also surprising in terms of the lack of engagement and the level of contempt the Premier and the ministers showed towards the Inquiry,' he said.
'I still have not spoken to the Premier or the Minister about why those events occurred in the way they did. There was just a real disregard – not just for the inquiry but the six-year process that led to its establishment.'
Despite this, Mr Creamer remains optimistic.
'Even towards the end of the Inquiry, I was really surprised by how many non-Indigenous organisations and institutions spoke up in support of the need for the truth-telling process,' he said.
'There will always continue to be a desire for this process to happen. It might just mean we'll be waiting for a change in government for that change to occur.
'The fact that Yoorrook has been successful now is a good demonstration of the importance of the process. It's not going to go away.'
New South Wales
In New South Wales, truth-telling has taken a back seat to make way for immediate treaty consultations.
Three treaty commissioners were appointed in September 2024 by the Minns Government to undertake a year-long consultation process with First Nations communities across the state, to understand whether an appetite for a treaty exists and whether truth-telling will be incorporated into the process.
At the time, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said the appointment of the Commissioners was 'central to the process of listening to Aboriginal people on treaty and agreement-making'.
'We get better outcomes when we listen to the needs of Aboriginal people and communities. We must ensure Aboriginal people have a direct say on matters that affect them,' he said.
NSW Legislative Council member Sue Higgins manages the state Greens' First Nations Justice and Heritage portfolio. She said 'all eyes have paid attention' to Yoorrook and how it established the blueprint for truth-telling in the states and territories.
'It arguably has been one of the best processes to date,' Ms Higgins said.
'The First Nations leadership around Yoorrook has been incredible, and the self-determined way in which the power of that process has operated has been very compelling.'
Despite the successes witnessed in Victoria, Ms Higgins said NSW was 'incredibly slow' in getting any form of truth-telling or treaty process up and running.
'The Minns Labor Government came to power in 2023 on the promise they would start the treaty process in New South Wales, and when the Voice referendum failed … there was politicisation and backtracking,' she said.
'That was a frightening period in NSW history, and I think it must have been quite shocking for people.'
Ms Higgins said the steps taken to appoint Treaty Commissioners were positive, but it was ultimately unclear – at least until consultations reach a conclusion – where truth-telling sits on the agenda.
'Where exactly a truth process sits within this is interesting, because the NSW government narrative doesn't really talk about truth-telling … for some that may be concerning, but obviously you can't predetermine an outcome,' she said.
'Where the truth-telling will sit at the end of this consultation is really still the open question.'
The Territories
The Northern Territory underwent a significant period of consultation between 2019 and 2023 to establish a path to treaty, part of which included a commitment to a truth-telling process.
In early 2023, the NT government announced the Aboriginal Interpreter Service (AIS) would begin recording testimony for the purpose of truth-telling, and in 2024 the government began distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of grants for the facilitation of truth-telling.
In 2025, the Country Liberal Party (CLP) abandoned the path to treaty and, by proxy, truth-telling.
The Australian Capital Territory does not currently have a formalised truth-telling process.
South Australia, WA and Tasmania
South Australia has legislated a First Nations Voice to Parliament, but no explicit mentions of a truth-telling process have yet been made.
While there is no formal truth-telling process in WA, a joint project between First Nations communities and the WA Government known as the 'Wadjemup Project' was launched in 2020.
The project uncovered the history of Aboriginal incarceration and forced childhood removal in WA.
Tasmania has elected to undergo a process similar to NSW by appointing a body of 'truth-telling and healing commissioners,' which will undertake a similar process to the NSW commissioners but with a focus on truth-telling rather than treaty.