Submissions Library

Lionel Lauch is a Gunditjmara Kirrae Wurrung-Bundjalung man. He is the co-founder of Living Culture, which teaches people to see through an Indigenous perspective in the Mornington Peninsula area, including bush tucker, medicine, dancing, art and cooking. Lionel’s family experienced intergenerational trauma through the Stolen Generations. Growing up in out-of-home care he experienced racism, violence and abuse. He has also faced racism in the health system throughout his life, which has affected his health. He has learned to let go of the anger and despair he felt growing up and feels immense pride in culture as an Aboriginal man.

Anon 1172 is a First Nations teacher at an inner north Primary School. They describe many experiences of offensive comments and questions they have faced from students, staff and colleagues, including questioning their Aboriginality, and racist and derogatory stereotypes. Their experience as a teacher has left them feeling isolated, broken and retraumatised. They believe schools have a responsibility to embed First Nations culture into policy and practice.

Uncle Henry Atkinson is a Wolithiga man. Born in Echuca, his father was born in 1891 and his mother around 1928. Uncle Henry describes the conditions at missions, including the Black Plague, stolen wages and the walk-off at Cummeragunja mission, when people were treated so badly they left and walked as far as Mathoura, Deniliquin, Echuca, Moama and Mooroopna. He describes children later being taken away from their parents, never to see each other again. He remembers segregated classrooms and Aboriginal children not being allowed to play sport or speak language. Uncle Henry also describes his battles to return ancestral remains, the need for housing and the importance of looking after younger generations coming through. Over his life Uncle Henry has gone on to be a champion fireman, General Manager at General Electrics and a Monash University Professor, starting Aboriginal studies courses.

Jesse John Lee Fleay (Warlitje Moodjarluk) is a Noongar man who works with the National Centre for Reconciliation, Truth, and Justice and the UN GE07 Process.

Their submission relates to a significant lack of justice in the higher education sector. They advise Yoorrook look into the hiring process and assigned responsibility of senior academics over First Nations portfolios, accountability, performative ‘engagement’ and how many First Nations academics are paid lower. They also discuss the importance of truth-telling to Victoria’s social and economic prosperity

A non-Indigenous woman in her 60s reflects on how there was no mention of First Nations history in her education and how she was recently introduced to elements of Victoria’s Indigenous history through a course called Sharing Indigenous Knowledge. She hopes her grandchildren receive better education on Australia’s colonial history to foster understanding and reconciliation.

This submission is from a 26 year old white Australian primarily of Scottish decent. They discuss the erasure of indigenous Victorians / koori people as presented through the education system.

Annie Kennedy discusses the impacts of colonisation on First Peoples, including how land that had been managed for tens of thousands of years was taken by force in frontier wars and how First Nations children were taken from their families. They outline how they would like to see a Treaty enacted in Victoria and advocate for better education, communication, and sharing to contribute to the process of truth-telling.

In this submission, Anna Ritman acknowledges their limited knowledge of the colonisation of Victoria from the First Peoples’ perspective, only being exposed to First Nations history and culture after spending time with the Anangu people at Uluru after leaving school. They advocate for awareness among the masses of our history.

Alena details their knowledge of the colonisation of Victoria, noting they were not exposed to First Peoples’ history in education until university. They advocate for more education on history prior to 1770 and emphasise the importance of listening to and embedding First Peoples’ advice.