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Yoorrook represents Victoria’s commitment to understanding our shared history so we can build a better future together. The Commission has finalised its major hearing blocks and closed submissions. So, what is Yoorrook up to now?

In the 1965 Freedom Ride from ‍12-26 February, Arrernte man Charles Perkins led a group of university students across NSW to shine a light on injustice towards First Peoples.

The passing of the Constitution enabled Australia’s six British colonies to become one nation, the Commonwealth of Australia, on 1 January 1901. The Constitution didn’t acknowledge the long history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.

On 23 December 1901 the Immigration Restriction Act became law. The colonies had restrictive immigration laws before federation, but the Act formalised the idea of a ‘White Australia’ as national policy.

In 2024 the Yoorrook Justice Commission investigated the systemic injustices faced by First Peoples in land, sky and waters, education, health, and housing. From hearing evidence at the site of the first recorded massacre in Victoria to the premier’s historic visit to Coranderrk, it has been a year filled with powerful moments.

The story of Coranderrk Station shows the strength and resistance of First Peoples and systemic injustices faced.

Traditional Owners from across the state gathered to mark the opening of Statewide Treaty negotiations with dance, song and ceremony.

In the 1860s, as the new colony of Victoria boomed following the discovery of gold, First Peoples were being moved onto missions and reserves, where their lives were tightly controlled.