“So we’ve transferred a broken system over to the ACCOs to deliver, because that’s all the government’s offered them. That’s not self-determination.” Yoorrook Commissioner Travis Lovett questioned the Minister for Child Protection, The Hon. Lizzie Blandthorn MLC, about the power and resources transferred to ACCOs to date.

Culture “wraps around you. It’s connected to family. It shapes your values, your ideals. To be Aboriginal is to know that you’re from strength, that you’re from resilience, that you’re part of the oldest cultures in the world.” Listen to Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People and Yorta Yorta woman Meena Singh speak about the importance of culture to … Read More

In the year ending 2022, 89% of First Peoples in prison in Victoria were on remand, meaning they in custody but unsentenced. Yoorrook heard that many of those on remand may not have received a custodial sentence if found guilty. Most were refused bail due to changes to Victorian bail laws in 2018, which meant repeat non-violent offenders had to … Read More

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.

Responding to an apology from Victoria’s Minister for Child Protection and Family Services, The Hon. Lizzie Blandthorn MLC in which she acknowledged the impact of child removals, Yoorrook Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter said: “Our children should be able to grow up healthy, happy, strong, connected, knowing their culture and who they are in themselves. But for thousands of our children involved … Read More