Latest news with #WalkforTruth
Sydney Morning Herald
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
A message stick, aching feet and great expectations as truth walk ends
No gift, this. It was a demand concerning what the crowd believed was long-overdue justice: the first treaty between an Australian state and the people of the First Nations. Premier Jacinta Allan was exposed to the gravity of the moment, too. A long line of traditional owners and elders presented her with a series of message sticks from their communities across the state, and they whispered to her the meaning of these hand-hewn objects and their hopes. There seemed to be a sigh around the packed Queen's Hall of parliament when Allan spoke the word 'treaty'. The work of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, the premier said, had brought hard truths into the light 'truths that for a long time have been silenced, have been ignored or indeed denied; truths that are not easy to hear. However, they must be reckoned with, because justice, genuine justice, begins with the telling of the truth'. When the final report of the commission was presented to parliament next month, it would not be the end of anything. Loading 'Truth marks the beginning,' she said. 'We know the important work of the commission will inform negotiations on treaty.' Lovett is deputy chair of the Yoorrook commission, which has spent the past four years gathering the personal stories of Victoria's Aboriginal community that tell a larger story: of the pain and manifold injustices experienced by Aboriginal people since colonisation began in Victoria 191 years ago. That truth was the word of the day was no surprise: Yoorrook means truth in the Wamba Wamba language of north-west Victoria, and Lovett's trek was called the Walk for Truth. More than 12,000 people joined him for various sections of it, which began on May 25 in Portland – site of the first European settlement in the state. The path wended along highways and byways, diverting regularly to sites sacred to the people of several language groups, and to sites haunted by old massacres. Rain, chilled winds and sunshine alternated, and Lovett went through seven pairs of walking shoes. The commission's chair, Wergaia/Wamba Wamba elder Professor Eleanor Bourke, said Yoorrook's work did not occur over just the past four years – its foundations had been set by the elders of the past, and many young people were now taking responsibility for the future. She said she was struck that parliament's Queen's Hall had been named in 1887 for Queen Victoria's Jubilee – celebrating her 50-year reign. Bourke said her grandmother had been born that same year. Loading 'She was born on a mission, and she grew up on a mission,' she said. And though Queen Victoria's years on the throne might have been 'victorious', there were many massacres of Australian Aboriginal people during that same period, Bourke said. But now the stories had finally been told by First Nations people themselves and recorded by the commission, 'we are in a good position to build and rebuild'.
The Age
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Age
A message stick, aching feet and great expectations as truth walk ends
No gift, this. It was a demand concerning what the crowd believed was long-overdue justice: the first treaty between an Australian state and the people of the First Nations. Premier Jacinta Allan was exposed to the gravity of the moment, too. A long line of traditional owners and elders presented her with a series of message sticks from their communities across the state, and they whispered to her the meaning of these hand-hewn objects and their hopes. There seemed to be a sigh around the packed Queen's Hall of parliament when Allan spoke the word 'treaty'. The work of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, the premier said, had brought hard truths into the light 'truths that for a long time have been silenced, have been ignored or indeed denied; truths that are not easy to hear. However, they must be reckoned with, because justice, genuine justice, begins with the telling of the truth'. When the final report of the commission was presented to parliament next month, it would not be the end of anything. Loading 'Truth marks the beginning,' she said. 'We know the important work of the commission will inform negotiations on treaty.' Lovett is deputy chair of the Yoorrook commission, which has spent the past four years gathering the personal stories of Victoria's Aboriginal community that tell a larger story: of the pain and manifold injustices experienced by Aboriginal people since colonisation began in Victoria 191 years ago. That truth was the word of the day was no surprise: Yoorrook means truth in the Wamba Wamba language of north-west Victoria, and Lovett's trek was called the Walk for Truth. More than 12,000 people joined him for various sections of it, which began on May 25 in Portland – site of the first European settlement in the state. The path wended along highways and byways, diverting regularly to sites sacred to the people of several language groups, and to sites haunted by old massacres. Rain, chilled winds and sunshine alternated, and Lovett went through seven pairs of walking shoes. The commission's chair, Wergaia/Wamba Wamba elder Professor Eleanor Bourke, said Yoorrook's work did not occur over just the past four years – its foundations had been set by the elders of the past, and many young people were now taking responsibility for the future. She said she was struck that parliament's Queen's Hall had been named in 1887 for Queen Victoria's Jubilee – celebrating her 50-year reign. Bourke said her grandmother had been born that same year. Loading 'She was born on a mission, and she grew up on a mission,' she said. And though Queen Victoria's years on the throne might have been 'victorious', there were many massacres of Australian Aboriginal people during that same period, Bourke said. But now the stories had finally been told by First Nations people themselves and recorded by the commission, 'we are in a good position to build and rebuild'.
The Age
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Age
Thousands join the Walk for Truth to confront Victoria's colonial past
Commissioner Travis Lovett walked over 500km in the Walk for Truth, a Yoorrook Justice Commission initiative to inform Victorians about colonisation's impact. The walk, from Portland to Parliament House, drew more than 12,000 participants.
Sydney Morning Herald
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Thousands join the Walk for Truth to confront Victoria's colonial past
Commissioner Travis Lovett walked over 500km in the Walk for Truth, a Yoorrook Justice Commission initiative to inform Victorians about colonisation's impact. The walk, from Portland to Parliament House, drew more than 12,000 participants.
Perth Now
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
'Walk for Truth' draws curtain on nation-first inquiry
A weary Aboriginal leader is not ready to put his feet up for good after walking halfway across the state to shine a light on its dark colonial past. A crowd of thousands greeted Travis Lovett outside Victorian parliament on Wednesday as he finished his 508km walk from Portland, where colonisation began in the state in 1834. More than 12,000 people joined him along the 25-day Walk for Truth, which represented the end of the long-running Yoorrook Justice Commission. With both feet freed of his shoes, the Yoorrook commissioner and deputy chair became emotional when talking about the toll the journey has taken. "The body has been sore," he told reporters. "I've had my moments where my feet have been sitting in the same shoes for nine hours straight, but that is nothing compared to what our people have been through. "We don't ask for sympathy but we ask people to open their minds and open their hearts to the full lived experience of our people here." Yoorrook is Australia's first first formal, Indigenous-led truth-telling process. It was established in 2021 to create a public record of Indigenous experiences since colonisation and its ongoing impacts on Aboriginal people. The inquiry has held dozens of public hearings, gathering the testimony of Stolen Generations survivors, elders, historians, experts and non-Indigenous advocates. Mr Lovett said it had ended the silence and laid the foundation for tangible change. "It's not about blame, it's about the truth," he told the crowd while foreshadowing future walks through other parts of the state. "Our old people didn't fight for sorrow, they fought so that we might live well." An interim report by Yoorrook called for wholesale changes to Victoria's criminal justice and child protection systems, but the state government only fully committed to implement six of 43 recommendations. Its final report is expected to be handed to the governor in coming days. Chair Eleanor Bourke has flagged it will contain more than 100 recommendations, including some that can be actioned immediately and others as part of a statewide treaty. Premier Jacinta Allan, who was presented with a message stick carried the full length of the walk, said the official public record would be critical to treaty talks. "You can't have treaty without truth - they go together," she said. Treaty negotiations between the state government and First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria kicked off in late 2024. Details have been vague on exactly what is on the table but an update on Wednesday confirmed parties discussed Yoorrook's public record becoming a possible resource for teachers. Assembly co-chair Rueben Berg suggested a statewide agreement could be reached later in 2025, ahead of Victorians heading to the polls in November 2026. "First people's decisions should be made by first people's - that's what we're working towards here in Victoria," he said. The Victorian Liberal opposition withdrew its support for a statewide treaty in 2024 following the failed national voice to federal parliament referendum. If and when an agreement is struck, legislation must pass both houses of state parliament for the treaty to be ticked off.
