To begin to answer these questions,this week Yoorrook will hear first-hand from Aboriginal leaders working in this area.
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In February,we will hear the voices of Community whose lives have been impacted by the child protection and criminal justice systems – including members of the stolen generations.
In March we will hear from representatives of government and institutions,allowing questions of accountability and systemic change to be asked and answered.
Some of the issues we expect the hearings to bring to light include the continuing impact of early colonisation on the failures of these systems;the fact that our verylow age of criminal responsibility means that children as young as 10 can be locked up in youth jails;the reasons behind harrowing rates of First Peoples child removal including newborns;the impact of the criminalisation of children in care;how bail and remand laws are affecting First Peoples;over-policing and under-policing;deaths in custody;and calls for independent police oversight.
There is a lot of injustice to address and a lot of truth to be told.
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Yoorrook is the chance for First Peoples to tellourtruth –our story of resilience and survival,of inequality and loss,of sacrifice and the injustices we continue to endure.
The truths told by First Peoples will help form the evidence base needed for Yoorrook to make recommendations for transformational change in the child protection and criminal justice systems – for First Peoples and for the state of Victoria.
Yoorrook is the chance for government to account for the failures of the past and to level the playing field for all Victorians for the future.
Participating in these hearings will be challenging for many of our people – individuals,families,communities and organisations.
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The hearings will likely be confronting to the wider Victorian public,including the bureaucracies intimately involved in child protection and criminal justice. But discomfort must be faced for First Peoples and non-Indigenous Victorians alike.
Victoria,as a state,needs to understand the true story of the colonisation of these lands,and the devastating – and lasting – impact of colonisation on First Peoples. Just as there is trauma in injustice,there is healing in truth.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission will deliver a critical issues report in June 2023 that will detail the evidence from these hearings on child protection and criminal justice and the submissions we are receiving. The report will recommend systemic change to address injustice.
Victorians should be proud that our state is leading the nation in the Truth and Treaty processes.
There will be challenging times ahead,but we have to go through this together if we are to secure change for First Peoples and build a better future for all Victorians based on truth and justice.
The rest of Australia will be watching with keen interest.
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