Yoorrook Justice Commission

Will you come join us on the Walk for Truth? Victorians are invited to join Yoorrook in a Walk for Truth from Portland to Parliament. Yoorrook Justice Commission Deputy Chair Travis Lovett will walk from Gunditjmara Country in Portland to the Victorian Parliament on Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Country in May and June 2025. The walk will build awareness for the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s final report, which includes an Official Public Record, and its call for Victorians to acknowledge the past and walk towards a shared and equitable future. The journey will culminate with Yoorrook's Commissioners presenting the Commission’s final report to the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, the Victorian Governor and Premier. Yoorrook will soon release more details, including the route and towns it will go through. Register your interest in joining us at: https://lnkd.in/gvWC_hM8 Help us share the walk by inviting people you know to engage, using the hashtags #WalkForTruth & #TruePathForward #WalkForTruth #Yoorrook #Truthtelling #TruePathForward

This International Women’s Day with the theme 'For all women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment', Yoorrook shines a spotlight on just some of the incredible First Nations women who have made a vast contribution to community over decades. You can learn more about First Nations women's stories of strength by reading submissions through Yoorrook's submissions library here: https://lnkd.in/gmRWwYui #InternationalWomensDay #IWD #Yoorrook #FirstNations #Women

"Prisons are not a place where women can heal." - Antoinette Braybrook AM, Djirra CEO Djirra- Sharing stories, finding solutions reports that "at least 24% of the women Djirra supported in 2023 had been misidentified as perpetrators of violence by Police. Misidentification leads to criminalisation, incarceration, and is a major contributor to the removal of our children. It also has far reaching ramifications for Aboriginal women in need of other critical services such as housing and employment." For further learning you can read Djirra's submission to Yoorrook here: https://lnkd.in/eBP89RD6 #Djirra #Yoorrook #CriminalJustice #FirstPeoples #Incarceration

Last week, we had the honour of attending and sponsoring the Melbourne Women's Foundation 2025 Update: Gender-Based Violence and Community Action event. It was a powerful discussion on the critical challenges facing women’s rights and safety today. Held in Canva’s stunning Melbourne space, the evening featured an inspiring panel led by Tania Farha, CEO of Safe and Equal, with insights from: ✨ Hana Assafiri OAM, social activist & owner of Moroccan Soup Bar ✨ Julie Kun, Acting CEO of Women with Disabilities Victoria ✨ Adele Murdolo, CEO of Multicultural Centre for Women's Health ✨ Sue-Anne Hunter – First Nations Leader, Deputy Chair & Commissioner of the Yoorrook Justice Commission At Fernwood Fitness, we believe empowerment extends beyond the gym. Creating a safer, more inclusive future requires collective action, and we’re proud to stand alongside organisations driving real change. A huge thank you to the Melbourne Women’s Foundation for hosting this vital conversation and to Canva for providing such an inspiring space. Together, we can make a difference. #FernwoodFitness #WomensEmpowerment #MelbourneWomensFoundation #FernwoodFoundation #StrongerTogether

“The tallest men, and those who are able to spring to a great height, have the best chances in this game.” - William Thomas wrote of Marngrook in 1878 This AFL season, explore the influences of Marngrook on AFL and how the game came to be. Let’s honour the legacy of Marngrook and its origins in First Peoples history and culture. Everyone has a role to play in truth-telling. When we talk together to understand our shared past, we can walk together to transform our shared future. Read Yoorrook's blog about Marngrook here: https://lnkd.in/gJiV9EkT #Marngrook #AFL #FirstPeoples #Truthtelling #Yoorrook

"How can we achieve justice for First Peoples, especially at a time when misinformation and division are too prevalent? It starts with truth." - Deputy Chair, Commissioner Travis Lovett. Commissioner Lovett gave a keynote address at the 3rd National Justice Forum. The focus of the event was transforming justice through the power of reconciliation, restoration and reinvestment. Commissioner Lovett spoke on understanding our colonial history in Victoria and how the past impacts today’s justice system, the truths heard by Yoorrook and recommendations for reform to create a fairer, more just future for all Victorians. Find out more about the National Justice Forum here: https://lnkd.in/gBHr7d_4 #NationalJusticeForum #Reconciliation #FirstPeoples

***Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this post may be distressing and contain sensitive information. Professor Stuart Kinner, Curtin University, speaks on the trajectory of mortality and death of First Nations children and young people following release from the criminal justice system. "Children who are only ever charged with a crime, never convicted of anything, never served in order, are still at more than three times higher risk of death." The criminal justice system has long been a site of systemic injustice. There is an unbroken line between the criminalisation of First Peoples’ resistance to dispossession at colonisation and the actions, laws and policies in the current criminal justice system. Yoorrook has made recommendations for Youth Justice which you can find here: https://lnkd.in/gPAqkBex The true path forward starts here. We invite you to join it. #YouthJustice #FirstPeoples #CriminalJustice #VictorianGovernment

"How can we achieve justice for First Peoples, especially at a time when misinformation and division are too prevalent? It starts with truth." - Deputy Chair, Commissioner Travis Lovett. Yoorrook Deputy Chair, Commissioner Lovett gave a keynote address at the 3rd National Justice Forum yesterday. The focus of the event is transforming justice through the power of reconciliation, restoration and reinvestment. Commissioner Lovett spoke on understanding our colonial history in Victoria and how the past impacts today’s justice system, the truths heard by Yoorrook and recommendations for reform to create a fairer, more just future for all Victorians. Yoorrook will be releasing a video of the keynote soon, stay tuned. Find out more about the National Justice Forum here: https://lnkd.in/gBHr7d_4 #NationalJusticeForum #Reconciliation #FirstPeoples

Do you know about Friends of Yoorrook? Help us amplify Yoorrook's truth-telling work by joining Friends of Yoorrook here: https://shorturl.at/PdZb8 You will receive shareable content around truth-telling, historic moments and educational information to share with your networks. We can't change the truth of our past, but by accepting and understanding it, we can walk together to a better shared future. For First Peoples and for all Victorians. The true path forward starts here. We invite you to join it. #FriendsofYoorrook #Truthtelling #TruePathForward #FirstPeoples

Watch Yoorrook’s Deputy Chair, Commissioner Travis Lovett, questioning the Secretary of the Department of Education, Jenny Atta, on the number of Victorian schools teaching First Nations languages. This International Mother Language Day, Yoorrook supports First Peoples languages being incorporated into all schools across Victoria. "When we talk about cultural wellbeing as a buffer, or as a preventive factor, it is one of the very things that improves the fastest when people are exposed to language." - Professor Raymond Lovett during Yoorrook's education, health and housing hearings. Through Yoorrook, meaning 'truth' in Wamba Wamba language, Victorians have shared the impacts of colonisation on First Peoples, and the strength and resistance shown in the face of it. We can't change the truth of our past, but by accepting and understanding it, we can walk together towards a better shared future – for First Peoples and for all Victorians. The true path forward starts here. We invite you to join it. To watch more from our hearings or read submissions, visit the Yoorrook website: yoorrook.org.au #SocialJustice #FirstPeoples #EducationSystem #VictorianGovernment