Where Yoorrook Went

Whether it was visiting older people in nursing homes, students in schools or those locked up in the cold recesses of the prison system, Commissioners travelled and listened deeply to ensure all these experiences were captured in the truth-telling process.

Yoorrook gathered thousands of hours of evidence

From quiet conversations over cups of tea on Country to powerful testimonies in formal hearings, Yoorrook:  

• engaged with around 9000 First Peoples
• received more than 1300 submissions from individuals and organisations
• held 65 public hearing days with 208 witnesses
• held more than 400 events including community information sessions, speaking engagements, Elders yarns and roundtable discussions
• received around 10 000 documents from government agencies, education providers and other organisations through formal requests for information and notices to produce evidence. 

Commissioners travelled across Victoria to meet with Elders on Country. These visits took Yoorrook to Dja Dja Wurrung, Eastern Maar (Kirrae Whurrung, Djab Wurrung), Gunaikurnai, Gunditjmara, Latji Latji, Tati Tati, Taungurung, Wadawurrung, Wemba Wemba/Wamba Wamba, Wiradjuri, Wurundjeri and Yorta Yorta Nations.

The Commission sat in yarning circles, shared one-on-one conversations, and walked with Elders across sites of cultural and historical significance—former missions at Lake Condah and Lake Tyers, the cemetery at Coranderrk, Cummeragunja, massacre sites, and places where resistance had taken root.

Elders offered stories of dispossession and survival, of land and legacy, of sorrow passed down and strength reclaimed. They helped guide the Commission’s early priorities, grounding it in the lived truth of Country and community.