The Yoorrook Justice Commission's final report was released one year ago, which delivered 100 recommendations on First Peoples injustices, after a four-year truth-telling inquiry. An RMIT expert explains that more needs to be done to enhance public understanding and create institutional reform.
Dr Jeremie Bracka, RMIT University School of Law:
"One year after the Yoorrook Justice Commission delivered its final report, the real challenge is no longer truth-telling, but implementation.
"History shows that even the most ambitious truth commissions can struggle to leave a lasting public legacy if governments, institutions and communities fail to sustain momentum.
"Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission sat for almost seven years, from 2008 to 2015, and produced 94 Calls to Action. Yet research and public commentary continue to suggest that many non-Indigenous Canadians remain unfamiliar with its findings and recommendations.
"Truth-telling, by itself, does not guarantee public understanding or institutional reform. That is the challenge Victoria now faces.
"The Yoorrook Justice Commission was unprecedented, not only as Australia's first formal truth-telling process, but as the first Indigenous-led truth commission anywhere in the world to operate alongside treaty negotiations. Its recommendations should not be seen as the conclusion of a conversation but the beginning of one.
"Our report series seeks to contribute to that next phase. Rather than attempting to revisit all of Yoorrook's recommendations, we focus on three practical areas where reform is both necessary and achievable: police accountability, land justice, and the role of Victorian universities in truth-telling and repatriation.
"If Yoorrook is to become more than a remarkable historical record, its recommendations must continue to inform public debate, policy development and institutional practice long after the Commission has concluded."
Dr Jeremie Bracka is a human rights lawyer and academic based at RMIT University's School of Law. His research lies at the intersection of transitional justice, constitutional law, and international human rights.
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