Yoorrook hearings investigate systemic racism in Victoria’s criminal justice system
At a Yoorrook hearing, Secretary of the Department of Justice and Community Safety, Kate Houghton, acknowledged that one of the primary drivers of overrepresentation of First Peoples in the criminal justice system is the existence of systemic racism.
Government and Departmental Hearings Shorts
Yoorrook recently completed a month of public hearings during which Commissioners questioned government ministers and senior bureaucrats about injustices against First Peoples in the criminal justice and child protection systems.
These historic hearings marked the first time an Aboriginal-led Royal Commission has publicly held to account the authorities that have exercised power over the lives of First Peoples for generations.
Throughout the hearings, government ministers and senior bureaucrats publicly reckoned with past and present injustice against First Peoples, in many cases responding to harrowing evidence given by Community members at previous Yoorrook hearings and in submissions to the Commission.
You can view hearing videos, evidence, witness statements and transcripts.