Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has announced a statewide Truth and Justice Tour to continue conversations about truth-telling and First Peoples' justice across Victoria.
The announcement comes in the wake of former Yoorrook Justice Commissioner Travis Lovett's 900-kilometre Walk for Truth and criticisms of the federal government's lack of action on truth-telling.
The tour, which begins on Wurundjeri Country in July, will see Senator Thorpe travel throughout metropolitan, regional and rural Victoria over 2026 and 2027, hosting dedicated forums for First Peoples alongside broader community events open to all Victorians.
Planned stops include Melbourne, Gippsland, Geelong, Warrnambool, Horsham and the state's south-west, with additional locations to be announced.
Senator Thorpe said the tour would build on growing public interest in truth-telling while creating opportunities for communities to shape conversations about justice and the future.
"This tour is about looking at the truth of what we experience in this country as First Peoples, and creating space for honest conversations about justice and the future we want to build together," the Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman said.
"As a Senator for Victoria, I want to connect with communities across the state about what matters to them and what kind of future they want for their kids, so we can build solutions together from the grassroots up."
The forums are intended to provide a direct line between Victorians and the federal parliament, with Senator Thorpe describing the tour as an opportunity to remain accountable to the people she represents.
"At a time when people are feeling divided and disconnected from politics, we need more spaces where people can come together as a community and build understanding," she said.
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The announcement comes just weeks after Mr Lovett completed his Walk for Truth from Portland to Parliament House, where he urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to commit to a national truth-telling process, warning "truth-telling can't wait".
The Kerrupmara Gunditjmara man walked almost 900 kilometres from Portland to Canberra, with nearly 6,000 people joining sections of the journey over 39 days. More than 10,000 people also signed an open letter calling on the Prime Minister to support a national truth-telling commission.
"Let this be where the country turns its face towards the truth, let this be where the delay ends ... I ask this country to walk the next part with us," Mr Lovett said last month.
The Federal Government has faced ongoing calls from Indigenous leaders to establish a national truth-telling body. While Labor backed the unsuccessful Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023, the other two pillars of the Uluru Statement from the Heart — truth and treaty — remain unrealised at a national level.
Communities at the centre
Senator Thorpe said meaningful progress on truth and justice must be driven by communities rather than Canberra.
"Everyday people need to be at the centre of this discussion," she said. "What matters to them is what I want to take back to Canberra. That's what I'm working for."
Speaking to National Indigenous Times last month, Common Threads Indigenous Peoples Organisation chief executive, Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, whose organisation worked with Mr Lovett on the Walk for Truth, said truth-telling remained essential.
"It's the basis of how we create solutions, it's the basis of how we move forward as a country," the Widjabul Wia-bal woman said.
While some states have advanced truth-telling processes, others have stepped away from them following the outcome of the Voice referendum.
Senator Thorpe's tour is expected to run over the next two years, with insights gathered during the forums helping inform her advocacy on behalf of First Peoples and the broader Victorian community.
"I'm incredibly excited to get out across the state and meet with as many people as I can to talk about the solutions we can drive together," she said.
Announced forums:
Wurundjeri Community Forum (reserved for First Peoples only)
Friday 24 July 2026
12:00pm - 2:30pm
Aunty Alma Thorpe's Gathering Place, Dardi Munwurro
546-550 High Street, Preston
Melbourne Community Forum (First Peoples and Non-Indigenous people all welcome)
Thursday 23 July 2026
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Drill Hall Community Centre
26 Therry Street, Melbourne
Registration details are available online.
