A year ago, we were proud to stand with more than 6 million Australians in support of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. And we shared the heartbreak following the outcome of the referendum.
In the year since, a lack of political leadership has allowed fear and ignorance to persist, and too little progress has been made on delivering justice for First Nations people. But we have also seen the strength and resolve of First Nations communities and allies in the continued fight for a better future.
The Justice and Equity Centre remains firmly committed to the Uluru Statement from the Heart’s call for Voice, Treaty, Truth – a call as potent and relevant as ever.
In 2019, we responded directly to the Uluru Statement through a partnership with the Indigenous Law Centre at UNSW that led to Towards Truth, our world first legal truth-telling project.
Since its launch in 2023, the Towards Truth website has shown how laws and policies in areas including child removals, housing and citizenship have shaped Aboriginal lives since 1788.
It also shines a light on the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the face of historic and on-going dispossession – resilience that was demonstrated by First Nations leaders in the wake of the referendum result.
We’ve been delighted with the response to the project and the ways in which people have engaged with it.
Sally Treveton, a Biripi woman and lawyer, wrote a powerful article in the National Indigenous Times reflecting on truth-telling and her own work on Towards Truth. It struck at the heart of why truth-telling matters: ‘The goal isn’t to lay blame, but to shed light.’ Sally has since joined the team at the Queensland Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry.
The last year has also seen the power of truth-telling made clear. In Queensland, after the heads of seven government agencies gathered before the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry, Chair Joshua Creamer concluded their evidence had shown how government had failed Aboriginal people ‘for 160 years in various forms’.
At Victoria’s Yoorrook Justice Commission, Premier Jacinta Allan confessed previous ignorance of massacres perpetuated close to her home in Bendigo, Dja Dja Wurrung Country. And committed to ensuring ‘the fundamental truth’ of Victoria’s history was taught in schools.
Reconciliation requires understanding. We must confront and remedy ignorance of our past to make the long journey to First Nations justice in Australia. The JEC remains a steadfast ally of the First Nations leaders showing the way. To make progress, we must all do the work.
Truth shows the way forward
A year ago, we were proud to stand with more than 6 million Australians in support of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. And we shared the heartbreak following the outcome of the referendum.
In the year since, a lack of political leadership has allowed fear and ignorance to persist, and too little progress has been made on delivering justice for First Nations people. But we have also seen the strength and resolve of First Nations communities and allies in the continued fight for a better future.
The Justice and Equity Centre remains firmly committed to the Uluru Statement from the Heart’s call for Voice, Treaty, Truth – a call as potent and relevant as ever.
In 2019, we responded directly to the Uluru Statement through a partnership with the Indigenous Law Centre at UNSW that led to Towards Truth, our world first legal truth-telling project.
Since its launch in 2023, the Towards Truth website has shown how laws and policies in areas including child removals, housing and citizenship have shaped Aboriginal lives since 1788.
It also shines a light on the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the face of historic and on-going dispossession – resilience that was demonstrated by First Nations leaders in the wake of the referendum result.
We’ve been delighted with the response to the project and the ways in which people have engaged with it.
Sally Treveton, a Biripi woman and lawyer, wrote a powerful article in the National Indigenous Times reflecting on truth-telling and her own work on Towards Truth. It struck at the heart of why truth-telling matters: ‘The goal isn’t to lay blame, but to shed light.’ Sally has since joined the team at the Queensland Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry.
The last year has also seen the power of truth-telling made clear. In Queensland, after the heads of seven government agencies gathered before the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry, Chair Joshua Creamer concluded their evidence had shown how government had failed Aboriginal people ‘for 160 years in various forms’.
At Victoria’s Yoorrook Justice Commission, Premier Jacinta Allan confessed previous ignorance of massacres perpetuated close to her home in Bendigo, Dja Dja Wurrung Country. And committed to ensuring ‘the fundamental truth’ of Victoria’s history was taught in schools.
Reconciliation requires understanding. We must confront and remedy ignorance of our past to make the long journey to First Nations justice in Australia. The JEC remains a steadfast ally of the First Nations leaders showing the way. To make progress, we must all do the work.
Wins
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