Australia's first formal truth-telling body has delivered its final two reports, concluding four years of gathering truth and evidence from across Victoria.
On Wednesday, the Yoorrook Justice Commission handed over the reports to the Governor of Victoria, Margaret Gardner AC, and the Co-Chairs of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria, Ngarra Murray and Rueben Berg.
Among the documents is Yoorrook for Transformation, the Commission's third and final interim report, containing 100 recommendations across five volumes. Accompanying it is Yoorrook Truth Be Told, an official public record documenting Victoria's history since colonisation, as well as key moments in the Commission's journey.
Both documents will be made public in the coming months, once tabled by the Victorian Government. They reflect testimony from 67 days of public hearings, more than 200 witnesses, and the voices of over 2,000 people — 1,500 of them First Peoples.
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Over the course of the hearings, the Commission received 16 apologies by ministers and departmental heads, and evidence revealed the government has earned billions of dollars from land and water that have not benefited First Peoples.
The former Police Commissioner Shane Patton told the Commission in 2023: "As a result of systemic racism, racist attitudes and discriminatory actions of police have gone undetected, unchecked, unpunished or without appropriate sanctions, and have caused significant harm across generations of Aboriginal families.
"For all this, I genuinely and formally apologise as Chief Commissioner and on behalf of Victoria Police. I am sincerely sorry that this has occurred to Aboriginal people," Mr Patton said.
The Commission also received over 1,300 written submissions, engaged with more than 9,000 individuals, reviewed nearly 10,000 state documents, and participated in over 400 community events.
Yoorrook Chair Professor Eleanor Bourke AM described leading the Commission as "one of the greatest privileges" of her life.
"I am extremely proud of what Yoorrook has achieved, from the depth of evidence gathered across the state to creating a safe space for First Peoples to share their truth," she said.
"Yoorrook's final report makes 100 recommendations for change based on the lived experience of First Peoples and other Victorians. These recommendations provide a roadmap to create a better future, not just for our people but for every Victorian. Ultimately they must be implemented in full."
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Professor Bourke previously expressed disappointment at the government's inaction, noting that less than 20 per cent of recommendations from Yoorrook's earlier interim report had been implemented.
Premier Jacinta Allan last year told the Commission she was prepared to apologise to First Nations people for injustices caused by government policies — a promise Professor Bourke recently noted remains unfulfilled.
Professor Bourke thanked her fellow Commissioners — Deputy Chairs Sue-Anne Hunter and Travis Lovett, Maggie Walter, Tony North, and former Commissioners Uncle Wayne Atkinson and Kevin Bell — as well as everyone who shared their stories.
"Your voices matter," she said. "We could not have done truth-telling without you."
Last week, Commissioner Travis Lovett concluded a 500-kilometre Walk for Truth, with more than 10,000 people joining parts of the 25-day journey.
She also acknowledged the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria — the elected body leading the state's Treaty process.
"We are privileged to have the Assembly in Victoria to provide accountability and advocate for the implementation of all of Yoorrook's recommendations after the Commission's term ends," Professor Bourke said.
"We know that when First Peoples are able to make decisions on matters affecting First Peoples, everyone benefits."
As part of its legacy, the Commission has created an Official Public Record to be held by State Library Victoria. Guided by the Victorian Indigenous Research Centre and the First Peoples' Assembly, this record will include a website, digital repository, and physical artefact collection.
In what the Commission described as a "significant recognition of cultural authority and self-determination," it will be the first time records created by and for Indigenous Australians are held outside the library's State Collection.
Reflecting on the journey so far, Professor Bourke said the Commission knows truth-telling must continue.
"After four years of truth-telling, more Victorians now have a better understanding of our shared history and how this history connects with the present," she said.
"Together we are walking towards a shared future based on truth, understanding and transformation."
