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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/01/victorias-indigenous-people-experienced-genocide-truth-telling-inquiry-says>
"Australia’s first truth-telling inquiry has labelled the injustices
experienced by First Nations people in Victoria a “genocide” and urged the
state government to provide redress for injustices from “colonial invasion”.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission’s final report was tabled in the Victorian
parliament on Tuesday, and made 100 recommendations aimed at truth telling,
healing and reconciliation. The recommendations relate to a range of
institutions including health, education, the justice and child protection
system.
The report found that from 1834, mass killings, disease, sexual violence, the
destruction of languages and cultures, and child removals from families and
communities combined to “bring about the near-complete physical destruction of
First Peoples in Victoria”.
Indigenous peoples in Victoria were “decimated”, with the report stating: “This
was genocide.”
The treaty commissioners called on the Victorian government to provide redress
for injustices that occurred during and as a result of invasion, including the
loss of traditional lands, waters and natural resources. Redress should take
the form of monetary compensation, including tax relief or other financial
benefits as negotiated through treaty, the report found.
The report examined the impact and trauma of colonisation through testimony
from 67 days of public hearings, more than 200 witnesses, 1,300 public
submissions and more than 10,000 public documents.
The final report outlined injustices stemming from colonisation, including
massacres, destruction of culture, language, land loss, as well as the
over-representation of Indigenous children in out-of-home care and detention.
The report details deaths stemming from 50 massacres recorded between 1831 and
1854, in which at least 978 Aboriginal men, women and children were killed. All
but three of the massacres were committed by colonisers, with one perpetrated
by Aboriginal people against settlers and two others committed by and against
First Nations people.
The commission is urging the Victorian government to establish a truth-telling
body to continue building a public record as a key priority."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
