Latest news with #Indigenous-led
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Bearspaw First Nation erects tipis west of Calgary to represent future development
Four tipis west of Calgary symbolize not just Indigenous culture and history, but an impending development that will bring economic reconciliation and diversification to the Bearspaw First Nation. Article content The brightly coloured tipis, located on the south side of Highway 1, just west of Calaway Park, were erected to represent the Bearspaw First Nation's plans with partner Durum Capital to eventually develop the area. Article content Article content Article content The tipis, which were designed by a Stoney Nakoda artist, are on a 298-acre land holding where the Nation is exploring a master development plan that may include business, medical, residential, and cultural components. A working group for the project will include Bearspaw Nation, Rocky View County and community members. Article content Article content This is Bearspaw's first off-reserve economic pursuit; the land holding is approximately 15 kilometres east of the Nation's reserve. Article content 'These tipis are not just a reminder of who we are, they are a symbol of where we're going,' said Chief Darcy Dixon, in the release. 'They reflect our culture, our values, and our commitment to growing a strong and self-reliant future, alongside our neighbours in Rocky View County. Article content Article content 'This is about creating a future where Bearspaw members participate fully in the economy while preserving and celebrating our identity.' Article content The Bow Water and Land Trust currently holds a historic water license on the land. The license, managed by Durum, will allow for the diversion of up to 1,080 acre-feet of water annually. Article content Bearspaw's development will be near and across the highway from Bingham Crossing, a future shopping complex in Springbank anchored by a Costco. Article content It won't be the only Indigenous-led development happening just outside of Calgary's limits in the coming years. Article content Earlier this year, the Tsuut'ina Nation launched home sales and construction of Taza Park, a 470-acre urban village that, at full buildout, will include 6,500 homes and one million square feet of commercial space. That development, a partnership between Tsuut'ina Nation and Candarel, will be on Tsuut'ina's land just south of the Grey Eagle Casino and Event Centre. Article content
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Hundreds spoke their truths on impact of colonisation
WHAT WAS THE YOORROOK JUSTICE COMMISSION? * Victoria's Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry, the first of its kind in Australia * Led by five commissioners, of whom four are Aboriginal * Established with royal commission powers * Independent of the Victorian government and the elected First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria, the body tasked with leading statewide treaty talks * Yoo-rrook means "truth" in the Wemba Wemba/Wamba Wamba language WHAT WAS ITS PURPOSE? * Create an official record of the impact of colonisation on Indigenous people in Victoria * Support the treaty-making process, including through recommendations for reform HOW DID IT COME ABOUT? * The Victorian Labor government committed to a truth and justice process in July 2020 * The commission and its mandate was unveiled in March 2021 * It officially launched in March 2022 following COVID-19 lockdown-related delays * The government granted a 12-month extension for its work to the end of June 2025 WHO APPEARED AT YOORROOK? * Public hearings began in April 2022 and lasted 67 days in total * Aboriginal elders such as Uncle Jack Charles, Uncle Johnny Lovett, Aunty Alma Thorpe and Aunty Eva Jo Edwards were among more than 200 witnesses * Premier Jacinta Allan and other government ministers also gave evidence * Then Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton apologised for police treatment of Indigenous people * The commission also received more than 1300 submissions and 10,000 documents from the state WHAT ARE ITS FINAL REPORTS? * Yoorrook for Transformation - Yoorrook's third and final report containing 100 recommendations over five volumes * Yoorrook Truth Be Told - a official public record that includes a detailed account of the history of Victoria since the start of colonisation and story of the commission WHAT ARE ITS KEY FINAL RECCOMENDATIONS? * The government must fund the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria to set up a permanent truth-telling group to keep collecting stories and build a public record * Decision-making powers, authority, control and resources must be transferred to First Peoples to give full effect to self-determination * The government must shift prison healthcare from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health * The government must provide redress for injustices caused by the colonial invasion and occupation of First Peoples' lands, as well as damage and loss WERE THERE ANY CONTROVERSIES? * Three commissioners quit within the space of six months in 2022, and another resigned in 2023 * Commission chair Eleanor Bourke slammed the government in 2023 for delays in producing documents * Only four of Yoorrook's 46 recommendations from an interim report on Victoria's child protection and criminal justice systems were accepted by the government in full. Twenty-four were accepted in principle and three rejected outright * Yoorrook later said it was "beyond disappointed" with the government's inaction * Three of the five commissioners did not endorse the inclusion of the key findings in the Truth Be Told report HOW HAS THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDED TO THE FINAL REPORTS? * It has acknowledged the final reports and will "carefully consider" its response to the findings and recommendations WHAT WAS THE YOORROOK JUSTICE COMMISSION? * Victoria's Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry, the first of its kind in Australia * Led by five commissioners, of whom four are Aboriginal * Established with royal commission powers * Independent of the Victorian government and the elected First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria, the body tasked with leading statewide treaty talks * Yoo-rrook means "truth" in the Wemba Wemba/Wamba Wamba language WHAT WAS ITS PURPOSE? * Create an official record of the impact of colonisation on Indigenous people in Victoria * Support the treaty-making process, including through recommendations for reform HOW DID IT COME ABOUT? * The Victorian Labor government committed to a truth and justice process in July 2020 * The commission and its mandate was unveiled in March 2021 * It officially launched in March 2022 following COVID-19 lockdown-related delays * The government granted a 12-month extension for its work to the end of June 2025 WHO APPEARED AT YOORROOK? * Public hearings began in April 2022 and lasted 67 days in total * Aboriginal elders such as Uncle Jack Charles, Uncle Johnny Lovett, Aunty Alma Thorpe and Aunty Eva Jo Edwards were among more than 200 witnesses * Premier Jacinta Allan and other government ministers also gave evidence * Then Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton apologised for police treatment of Indigenous people * The commission also received more than 1300 submissions and 10,000 documents from the state WHAT ARE ITS FINAL REPORTS? * Yoorrook for Transformation - Yoorrook's third and final report containing 100 recommendations over five volumes * Yoorrook Truth Be Told - a official public record that includes a detailed account of the history of Victoria since the start of colonisation and story of the commission WHAT ARE ITS KEY FINAL RECCOMENDATIONS? * The government must fund the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria to set up a permanent truth-telling group to keep collecting stories and build a public record * Decision-making powers, authority, control and resources must be transferred to First Peoples to give full effect to self-determination * The government must shift prison healthcare from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health * The government must provide redress for injustices caused by the colonial invasion and occupation of First Peoples' lands, as well as damage and loss WERE THERE ANY CONTROVERSIES? * Three commissioners quit within the space of six months in 2022, and another resigned in 2023 * Commission chair Eleanor Bourke slammed the government in 2023 for delays in producing documents * Only four of Yoorrook's 46 recommendations from an interim report on Victoria's child protection and criminal justice systems were accepted by the government in full. Twenty-four were accepted in principle and three rejected outright * Yoorrook later said it was "beyond disappointed" with the government's inaction * Three of the five commissioners did not endorse the inclusion of the key findings in the Truth Be Told report HOW HAS THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDED TO THE FINAL REPORTS? * It has acknowledged the final reports and will "carefully consider" its response to the findings and recommendations WHAT WAS THE YOORROOK JUSTICE COMMISSION? * Victoria's Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry, the first of its kind in Australia * Led by five commissioners, of whom four are Aboriginal * Established with royal commission powers * Independent of the Victorian government and the elected First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria, the body tasked with leading statewide treaty talks * Yoo-rrook means "truth" in the Wemba Wemba/Wamba Wamba language WHAT WAS ITS PURPOSE? * Create an official record of the impact of colonisation on Indigenous people in Victoria * Support the treaty-making process, including through recommendations for reform HOW DID IT COME ABOUT? * The Victorian Labor government committed to a truth and justice process in July 2020 * The commission and its mandate was unveiled in March 2021 * It officially launched in March 2022 following COVID-19 lockdown-related delays * The government granted a 12-month extension for its work to the end of June 2025 WHO APPEARED AT YOORROOK? * Public hearings began in April 2022 and lasted 67 days in total * Aboriginal elders such as Uncle Jack Charles, Uncle Johnny Lovett, Aunty Alma Thorpe and Aunty Eva Jo Edwards were among more than 200 witnesses * Premier Jacinta Allan and other government ministers also gave evidence * Then Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton apologised for police treatment of Indigenous people * The commission also received more than 1300 submissions and 10,000 documents from the state WHAT ARE ITS FINAL REPORTS? * Yoorrook for Transformation - Yoorrook's third and final report containing 100 recommendations over five volumes * Yoorrook Truth Be Told - a official public record that includes a detailed account of the history of Victoria since the start of colonisation and story of the commission WHAT ARE ITS KEY FINAL RECCOMENDATIONS? * The government must fund the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria to set up a permanent truth-telling group to keep collecting stories and build a public record * Decision-making powers, authority, control and resources must be transferred to First Peoples to give full effect to self-determination * The government must shift prison healthcare from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health * The government must provide redress for injustices caused by the colonial invasion and occupation of First Peoples' lands, as well as damage and loss WERE THERE ANY CONTROVERSIES? * Three commissioners quit within the space of six months in 2022, and another resigned in 2023 * Commission chair Eleanor Bourke slammed the government in 2023 for delays in producing documents * Only four of Yoorrook's 46 recommendations from an interim report on Victoria's child protection and criminal justice systems were accepted by the government in full. Twenty-four were accepted in principle and three rejected outright * Yoorrook later said it was "beyond disappointed" with the government's inaction * Three of the five commissioners did not endorse the inclusion of the key findings in the Truth Be Told report HOW HAS THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDED TO THE FINAL REPORTS? * It has acknowledged the final reports and will "carefully consider" its response to the findings and recommendations WHAT WAS THE YOORROOK JUSTICE COMMISSION? * Victoria's Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry, the first of its kind in Australia * Led by five commissioners, of whom four are Aboriginal * Established with royal commission powers * Independent of the Victorian government and the elected First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria, the body tasked with leading statewide treaty talks * Yoo-rrook means "truth" in the Wemba Wemba/Wamba Wamba language WHAT WAS ITS PURPOSE? * Create an official record of the impact of colonisation on Indigenous people in Victoria * Support the treaty-making process, including through recommendations for reform HOW DID IT COME ABOUT? * The Victorian Labor government committed to a truth and justice process in July 2020 * The commission and its mandate was unveiled in March 2021 * It officially launched in March 2022 following COVID-19 lockdown-related delays * The government granted a 12-month extension for its work to the end of June 2025 WHO APPEARED AT YOORROOK? * Public hearings began in April 2022 and lasted 67 days in total * Aboriginal elders such as Uncle Jack Charles, Uncle Johnny Lovett, Aunty Alma Thorpe and Aunty Eva Jo Edwards were among more than 200 witnesses * Premier Jacinta Allan and other government ministers also gave evidence * Then Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton apologised for police treatment of Indigenous people * The commission also received more than 1300 submissions and 10,000 documents from the state WHAT ARE ITS FINAL REPORTS? * Yoorrook for Transformation - Yoorrook's third and final report containing 100 recommendations over five volumes * Yoorrook Truth Be Told - a official public record that includes a detailed account of the history of Victoria since the start of colonisation and story of the commission WHAT ARE ITS KEY FINAL RECCOMENDATIONS? * The government must fund the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria to set up a permanent truth-telling group to keep collecting stories and build a public record * Decision-making powers, authority, control and resources must be transferred to First Peoples to give full effect to self-determination * The government must shift prison healthcare from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health * The government must provide redress for injustices caused by the colonial invasion and occupation of First Peoples' lands, as well as damage and loss WERE THERE ANY CONTROVERSIES? * Three commissioners quit within the space of six months in 2022, and another resigned in 2023 * Commission chair Eleanor Bourke slammed the government in 2023 for delays in producing documents * Only four of Yoorrook's 46 recommendations from an interim report on Victoria's child protection and criminal justice systems were accepted by the government in full. Twenty-four were accepted in principle and three rejected outright * Yoorrook later said it was "beyond disappointed" with the government's inaction * Three of the five commissioners did not endorse the inclusion of the key findings in the Truth Be Told report HOW HAS THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDED TO THE FINAL REPORTS? * It has acknowledged the final reports and will "carefully consider" its response to the findings and recommendations
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Truth-telling inquiry splits on final report findings
An internal rift has overshadowed the landmark release of final reports from Australia's first Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry. The Yoorrook Justice Commission's final reports were tabled in Victorian parliament on Tuesday afternoon, in a potential watershed moment for improving Aboriginal people's lives across the state. The documents include a final report with 100 recommendations across five volumes and an official public record of Victoria's history since colonisation. The official public record features a disclaimer that three of the five commissioners - adjunct professor Sue-Anne Hunter, distinguished professor Maggie Walter and former Federal Court judge Anthony North - "did not approve of the inclusion of the key findings in the final report". "Yoorrook's key findings draw from the conclusions presented in the commission's existing reports," the 454-page document reads. "But (they) are limited in number in order to highlight the key events in Victoria's colonial history that underpin the systemic injustice facing First Peoples in Victoria today." The disunity is a blow to the official public record, which has been discussed as a possible teaching resource in state schools as part of ongoing treaty negotiations. None of the trio participated in deputy chair Travis Lovett's "Walk for Truth", a 500km journey from Portland in the state's west to the steps of parliament house that wrapped up on June 18. Some of the public record's key findings are: * Land now known as Victoria was not "discovered" by the British Crown or "founded" by settlers * The sovereignty of Victoria's First Peoples was never ceded and continues to exist * The initial occupation was illegal, rapid and largely uncontrolled * The taking of Country and resources was violent * Laws and policies of the British and colonial governments were used to authorise the confiscation, theft, use and damage of lands and waters * None of the wealth generated from the land and waters of First Peoples since colonisation has been directly shared with Traditional Owners * Colonisation is not only a historic event and continues to affect First Peoples in Victoria to this day * First Peoples in Victoria have a fundamental right to self-determination * Treaty is the best pathway to self-determination and must include redress for the harms suffered as a result of colonisation * Restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and a guarantee of non-repetition are options for redress Commission chair Eleanor Bourke, who worked in the public service and education sectors for decades, said she had lived through many of the policies described in the pages. "I know that change cannot be guaranteed," she wrote in her foreword. "However, First Peoples in Victoria now know that the truth of our history and our stories are on the public record." Yoorrook, which was given the powers of a royal commission when it was established in 2021, handed its final reports to Governor Margaret Gardner on June 25. The commission held 67 days of public hearings, gathering the testimony of Stolen Generations survivors, elders, historians, experts and non-Indigenous advocates. Its 148 recommendations will inform treaty talks between the Victorian government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria. Premier Jacinta Allan said the government would carefully consider the final findings and recommendations. "Victoria's truth-telling process is a historic opportunity to hear the stories of our past that have been buried - these are stories that all Victorians need to hear," she said. Assembly co-chair Rueben Berg said the suggested reforms laid out a bold path to create a better future for Aboriginal people. "Truth and treaty go hand-in-hand," the Gunditjmara man said. "Victorians know that we can't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results." A statewide treaty agreement that includes making the assembly a permanent Indigenous voice to state parliament is nearing competition. Treaty legislation is expected to be introduced to Victorian parliament later in 2025. The state Labor government needs the support of up to six upper house crossbenchers for the bill to pass, with the coalition opposed to a treaty and state-based voice to parliament. An internal rift has overshadowed the landmark release of final reports from Australia's first Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry. The Yoorrook Justice Commission's final reports were tabled in Victorian parliament on Tuesday afternoon, in a potential watershed moment for improving Aboriginal people's lives across the state. The documents include a final report with 100 recommendations across five volumes and an official public record of Victoria's history since colonisation. The official public record features a disclaimer that three of the five commissioners - adjunct professor Sue-Anne Hunter, distinguished professor Maggie Walter and former Federal Court judge Anthony North - "did not approve of the inclusion of the key findings in the final report". "Yoorrook's key findings draw from the conclusions presented in the commission's existing reports," the 454-page document reads. "But (they) are limited in number in order to highlight the key events in Victoria's colonial history that underpin the systemic injustice facing First Peoples in Victoria today." The disunity is a blow to the official public record, which has been discussed as a possible teaching resource in state schools as part of ongoing treaty negotiations. None of the trio participated in deputy chair Travis Lovett's "Walk for Truth", a 500km journey from Portland in the state's west to the steps of parliament house that wrapped up on June 18. Some of the public record's key findings are: * Land now known as Victoria was not "discovered" by the British Crown or "founded" by settlers * The sovereignty of Victoria's First Peoples was never ceded and continues to exist * The initial occupation was illegal, rapid and largely uncontrolled * The taking of Country and resources was violent * Laws and policies of the British and colonial governments were used to authorise the confiscation, theft, use and damage of lands and waters * None of the wealth generated from the land and waters of First Peoples since colonisation has been directly shared with Traditional Owners * Colonisation is not only a historic event and continues to affect First Peoples in Victoria to this day * First Peoples in Victoria have a fundamental right to self-determination * Treaty is the best pathway to self-determination and must include redress for the harms suffered as a result of colonisation * Restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and a guarantee of non-repetition are options for redress Commission chair Eleanor Bourke, who worked in the public service and education sectors for decades, said she had lived through many of the policies described in the pages. "I know that change cannot be guaranteed," she wrote in her foreword. "However, First Peoples in Victoria now know that the truth of our history and our stories are on the public record." Yoorrook, which was given the powers of a royal commission when it was established in 2021, handed its final reports to Governor Margaret Gardner on June 25. The commission held 67 days of public hearings, gathering the testimony of Stolen Generations survivors, elders, historians, experts and non-Indigenous advocates. Its 148 recommendations will inform treaty talks between the Victorian government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria. Premier Jacinta Allan said the government would carefully consider the final findings and recommendations. "Victoria's truth-telling process is a historic opportunity to hear the stories of our past that have been buried - these are stories that all Victorians need to hear," she said. Assembly co-chair Rueben Berg said the suggested reforms laid out a bold path to create a better future for Aboriginal people. "Truth and treaty go hand-in-hand," the Gunditjmara man said. "Victorians know that we can't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results." A statewide treaty agreement that includes making the assembly a permanent Indigenous voice to state parliament is nearing competition. Treaty legislation is expected to be introduced to Victorian parliament later in 2025. The state Labor government needs the support of up to six upper house crossbenchers for the bill to pass, with the coalition opposed to a treaty and state-based voice to parliament. An internal rift has overshadowed the landmark release of final reports from Australia's first Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry. The Yoorrook Justice Commission's final reports were tabled in Victorian parliament on Tuesday afternoon, in a potential watershed moment for improving Aboriginal people's lives across the state. The documents include a final report with 100 recommendations across five volumes and an official public record of Victoria's history since colonisation. The official public record features a disclaimer that three of the five commissioners - adjunct professor Sue-Anne Hunter, distinguished professor Maggie Walter and former Federal Court judge Anthony North - "did not approve of the inclusion of the key findings in the final report". "Yoorrook's key findings draw from the conclusions presented in the commission's existing reports," the 454-page document reads. "But (they) are limited in number in order to highlight the key events in Victoria's colonial history that underpin the systemic injustice facing First Peoples in Victoria today." The disunity is a blow to the official public record, which has been discussed as a possible teaching resource in state schools as part of ongoing treaty negotiations. None of the trio participated in deputy chair Travis Lovett's "Walk for Truth", a 500km journey from Portland in the state's west to the steps of parliament house that wrapped up on June 18. Some of the public record's key findings are: * Land now known as Victoria was not "discovered" by the British Crown or "founded" by settlers * The sovereignty of Victoria's First Peoples was never ceded and continues to exist * The initial occupation was illegal, rapid and largely uncontrolled * The taking of Country and resources was violent * Laws and policies of the British and colonial governments were used to authorise the confiscation, theft, use and damage of lands and waters * None of the wealth generated from the land and waters of First Peoples since colonisation has been directly shared with Traditional Owners * Colonisation is not only a historic event and continues to affect First Peoples in Victoria to this day * First Peoples in Victoria have a fundamental right to self-determination * Treaty is the best pathway to self-determination and must include redress for the harms suffered as a result of colonisation * Restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and a guarantee of non-repetition are options for redress Commission chair Eleanor Bourke, who worked in the public service and education sectors for decades, said she had lived through many of the policies described in the pages. "I know that change cannot be guaranteed," she wrote in her foreword. "However, First Peoples in Victoria now know that the truth of our history and our stories are on the public record." Yoorrook, which was given the powers of a royal commission when it was established in 2021, handed its final reports to Governor Margaret Gardner on June 25. The commission held 67 days of public hearings, gathering the testimony of Stolen Generations survivors, elders, historians, experts and non-Indigenous advocates. Its 148 recommendations will inform treaty talks between the Victorian government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria. Premier Jacinta Allan said the government would carefully consider the final findings and recommendations. "Victoria's truth-telling process is a historic opportunity to hear the stories of our past that have been buried - these are stories that all Victorians need to hear," she said. Assembly co-chair Rueben Berg said the suggested reforms laid out a bold path to create a better future for Aboriginal people. "Truth and treaty go hand-in-hand," the Gunditjmara man said. "Victorians know that we can't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results." A statewide treaty agreement that includes making the assembly a permanent Indigenous voice to state parliament is nearing competition. Treaty legislation is expected to be introduced to Victorian parliament later in 2025. The state Labor government needs the support of up to six upper house crossbenchers for the bill to pass, with the coalition opposed to a treaty and state-based voice to parliament. An internal rift has overshadowed the landmark release of final reports from Australia's first Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry. The Yoorrook Justice Commission's final reports were tabled in Victorian parliament on Tuesday afternoon, in a potential watershed moment for improving Aboriginal people's lives across the state. The documents include a final report with 100 recommendations across five volumes and an official public record of Victoria's history since colonisation. The official public record features a disclaimer that three of the five commissioners - adjunct professor Sue-Anne Hunter, distinguished professor Maggie Walter and former Federal Court judge Anthony North - "did not approve of the inclusion of the key findings in the final report". "Yoorrook's key findings draw from the conclusions presented in the commission's existing reports," the 454-page document reads. "But (they) are limited in number in order to highlight the key events in Victoria's colonial history that underpin the systemic injustice facing First Peoples in Victoria today." The disunity is a blow to the official public record, which has been discussed as a possible teaching resource in state schools as part of ongoing treaty negotiations. None of the trio participated in deputy chair Travis Lovett's "Walk for Truth", a 500km journey from Portland in the state's west to the steps of parliament house that wrapped up on June 18. Some of the public record's key findings are: * Land now known as Victoria was not "discovered" by the British Crown or "founded" by settlers * The sovereignty of Victoria's First Peoples was never ceded and continues to exist * The initial occupation was illegal, rapid and largely uncontrolled * The taking of Country and resources was violent * Laws and policies of the British and colonial governments were used to authorise the confiscation, theft, use and damage of lands and waters * None of the wealth generated from the land and waters of First Peoples since colonisation has been directly shared with Traditional Owners * Colonisation is not only a historic event and continues to affect First Peoples in Victoria to this day * First Peoples in Victoria have a fundamental right to self-determination * Treaty is the best pathway to self-determination and must include redress for the harms suffered as a result of colonisation * Restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and a guarantee of non-repetition are options for redress Commission chair Eleanor Bourke, who worked in the public service and education sectors for decades, said she had lived through many of the policies described in the pages. "I know that change cannot be guaranteed," she wrote in her foreword. "However, First Peoples in Victoria now know that the truth of our history and our stories are on the public record." Yoorrook, which was given the powers of a royal commission when it was established in 2021, handed its final reports to Governor Margaret Gardner on June 25. The commission held 67 days of public hearings, gathering the testimony of Stolen Generations survivors, elders, historians, experts and non-Indigenous advocates. Its 148 recommendations will inform treaty talks between the Victorian government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria. Premier Jacinta Allan said the government would carefully consider the final findings and recommendations. "Victoria's truth-telling process is a historic opportunity to hear the stories of our past that have been buried - these are stories that all Victorians need to hear," she said. Assembly co-chair Rueben Berg said the suggested reforms laid out a bold path to create a better future for Aboriginal people. "Truth and treaty go hand-in-hand," the Gunditjmara man said. "Victorians know that we can't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results." A statewide treaty agreement that includes making the assembly a permanent Indigenous voice to state parliament is nearing competition. Treaty legislation is expected to be introduced to Victorian parliament later in 2025. The state Labor government needs the support of up to six upper house crossbenchers for the bill to pass, with the coalition opposed to a treaty and state-based voice to parliament.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Truth-telling inquiry splits on final report findings
An internal rift has overshadowed the landmark release of final reports from Australia's first Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry. The Yoorrook Justice Commission's final reports were tabled in Victorian parliament on Tuesday afternoon, in a potential watershed moment for improving Aboriginal people's lives across the state. The documents include a final report with 100 recommendations across five volumes and an official public record of Victoria's history since colonisation. The official public record features a disclaimer that three of the five commissioners - adjunct professor Sue-Anne Hunter, distinguished professor Maggie Walter and former Federal Court judge Anthony North - "did not approve of the inclusion of the key findings in the final report". "Yoorrook's key findings draw from the conclusions presented in the commission's existing reports," the 454-page document reads. "But (they) are limited in number in order to highlight the key events in Victoria's colonial history that underpin the systemic injustice facing First Peoples in Victoria today." The disunity is a blow to the official public record, which has been discussed as a possible teaching resource in state schools as part of ongoing treaty negotiations. None of the trio participated in deputy chair Travis Lovett's "Walk for Truth", a 500km journey from Portland in the state's west to the steps of parliament house that wrapped up on June 18. Some of the public record's key findings are: * Land now known as Victoria was not "discovered" by the British Crown or "founded" by settlers * The sovereignty of Victoria's First Peoples was never ceded and continues to exist * The initial occupation was illegal, rapid and largely uncontrolled * The taking of Country and resources was violent * Laws and policies of the British and colonial governments were used to authorise the confiscation, theft, use and damage of lands and waters * None of the wealth generated from the land and waters of First Peoples since colonisation has been directly shared with Traditional Owners * Colonisation is not only a historic event and continues to affect First Peoples in Victoria to this day * First Peoples in Victoria have a fundamental right to self-determination * Treaty is the best pathway to self-determination and must include redress for the harms suffered as a result of colonisation * Restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and a guarantee of non-repetition are options for redress Commission chair Eleanor Bourke, who worked in the public service and education sectors for decades, said she had lived through many of the policies described in the pages. "I know that change cannot be guaranteed," she wrote in her foreword. "However, First Peoples in Victoria now know that the truth of our history and our stories are on the public record." Yoorrook, which was given the powers of a royal commission when it was established in 2021, handed its final reports to Governor Margaret Gardner on June 25. The commission held 67 days of public hearings, gathering the testimony of Stolen Generations survivors, elders, historians, experts and non-Indigenous advocates. Its 148 recommendations will inform treaty talks between the Victorian government and the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria. Premier Jacinta Allan said the government would carefully consider the final findings and recommendations. "Victoria's truth-telling process is a historic opportunity to hear the stories of our past that have been buried - these are stories that all Victorians need to hear," she said. Assembly co-chair Rueben Berg said the suggested reforms laid out a bold path to create a better future for Aboriginal people. "Truth and treaty go hand-in-hand," the Gunditjmara man said. "Victorians know that we can't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results." A statewide treaty agreement that includes making the assembly a permanent Indigenous voice to state parliament is nearing competition. Treaty legislation is expected to be introduced to Victorian parliament later in 2025. The state Labor government needs the support of up to six upper house crossbenchers for the bill to pass, with the coalition opposed to a treaty and state-based voice to parliament.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Hundreds spoke their truths on impact of colonisation
WHAT WAS THE YOORROOK JUSTICE COMMISSION? * Victoria's Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry, the first of its kind in Australia * Led by five commissioners, of whom four are Aboriginal * Established with royal commission powers * Independent of the Victorian government and the elected First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria, the body tasked with leading statewide treaty talks * Yoo-rrook means "truth" in the Wemba Wemba/Wamba Wamba language WHAT WAS ITS PURPOSE? * Create an official record of the impact of colonisation on Indigenous people in Victoria * Support the treaty-making process, including through recommendations for reform HOW DID IT COME ABOUT? * The Victorian Labor government committed to a truth and justice process in July 2020 * The commission and its mandate was unveiled in March 2021 * It officially launched in March 2022 following COVID-19 lockdown-related delays * The government granted a 12-month extension for its work to the end of June 2025 WHO APPEARED AT YOORROOK? * Public hearings began in April 2022 and lasted 67 days in total * Aboriginal elders such as Uncle Jack Charles, Uncle Johnny Lovett, Aunty Alma Thorpe and Aunty Eva Jo Edwards were among more than 200 witnesses * Premier Jacinta Allan and other government ministers also gave evidence * Then Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton apologised for police treatment of Indigenous people * The commission also received more than 1300 submissions and 10,000 documents from the state WHAT ARE ITS FINAL REPORTS? * Yoorrook for Transformation - Yoorrook's third and final report containing 100 recommendations over five volumes * Yoorrook Truth Be Told - a official public record that includes a detailed account of the history of Victoria since the start of colonisation and story of the commission WHAT ARE ITS KEY FINAL RECCOMENDATIONS? * The government must fund the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria to set up a permanent truth-telling group to keep collecting stories and build a public record * Decision-making powers, authority, control and resources must be transferred to First Peoples to give full effect to self-determination * The government must shift prison healthcare from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health * The government must provide redress for injustices caused by the colonial invasion and occupation of First Peoples' lands, as well as damage and loss WERE THERE ANY CONTROVERSIES? * Three commissioners quit within the space of six months in 2022, and another resigned in 2023 * Commission chair Eleanor Bourke slammed the government in 2023 for delays in producing documents * Only four of Yoorrook's 46 recommendations from an interim report on Victoria's child protection and criminal justice systems were accepted by the government in full. Twenty-four were accepted in principle and three rejected outright * Yoorrook later said it was "beyond disappointed" with the government's inaction * Three of the five commissioners did not endorse the inclusion of the key findings in the Truth Be Told report HOW HAS THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDED TO THE FINAL REPORTS? * It has acknowledged the final reports and will "carefully consider" its response to the findings and recommendations
