Tasmania's Aboriginal Advisory Group has applauded the Tasmanian government's support for progress towards truth-telling and healing in the state after the Government announced its upcoming budget will include provisions to establish state-based Aboriginal Truth-telling and Healing Commissioners.
The announcement is based on advice from the state's Aboriginal Advisory Group (AAG), an Aboriginal community-led advisory group which has been providing advice to Government on how to undertake a Truth-Telling and Treaty process since 2023.
Respected Tasmanian Aboriginal community leader and AAG member, Uncle Rodney Dillon, said after researching Truth-Telling and Treaty models across Australia, it was "clear" a Commissioner model was best for the state.
"The Advisory Group has been diligently undertaking conversations with key people involved in Truth-Telling and Treaty in the other States, Tasmania is a long way behind where it should be, and these conversations have been very helpful in assisting the AAG developing its advice on how we can move forward," Mr Dillon said.
"It was clear to the AAG that a Tasmanian Aboriginal led Commissioner model was the next important step we needed to take, and that is the advice we provided to the Government".
The AAG provided advice to Government calling for the funding of Truth-Telling Commissioners consisting of Tasmanian Aboriginal people and a supporting secretariate, a model similar to what Victoria first implemented and what has now been developed in NSW.
The Group said Commissioners would be responsible for actively consulting with Tasmanian Aboriginal communities on what a pathway to Truth-Telling might look like, while also actively providing information to non-Aboriginal people on Truth-Telling and Healing so all Tasmanians are engaged and involved in the process.
AAG member Dave Mangenner Gough said the Government has demonstrated "a strong willingness to continue to work with Tasmanian Aboriginal people".
"The role of the AAG was not to come up with the final model for how Truth-Telling and Treaty might happen, that is up to our communities to decide and the Commissioners through their community engagement will help that process to occur," Mr Gough said.
"The AAG were very strong in telling the Government that this process must be Aboriginal community led and involve all Aboriginal people in Tasmania, and we insisted there needed to be Commissioners to undertake this important work.
"The AAG are very pleased the Government has listened and will be pushing forward with Tasmanian Truth-Telling and Healing Commissioners when nationally there has been some reluctance for conservative Governments to do so".
In what it called a "historic moment for Tasmania", the AAG said the opportunity for Truth-Telling to occur where colonisation and its ongoing impacts has been profound and long lasting, will provide a much-needed process toward healing from intergenerational trauma.
"It is not just about the Aboriginal community telling our truth, our story of survival. This also requires the broader Tasmanian community telling its truth and from that we will all be better placed to heal together," AAG member Maxine Roughley said.
"Truth-Telling must be the first step and from this greater understanding and acceptance of what comes next will be possible."
Tasmanian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Jacquie Petrusma, said the establishment of the Truth-telling and Healing Commissioners will be uniquely Tasmanian, and is a very important historic moment of recognition, respect and for self-determination for Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
"This is a first for Tasmania — a moment of deep significance for Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and one that reflects our commitment to listen, learn, and act," the Minister said.
"It is a critical and necessary step towards recognising past injustices, gaining a greater understanding of the contemporary challenges being faced by Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and making real progress in healing the wounds of the past.
The Government said it will work with Tasmanian Aboriginal people on the process to appoint the Commissioners and the next steps, noting the process will be led and driven by Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
"The truth-telling and healing process will preserve Tasmanian Aboriginal history and storytelling for future generations; provide Tasmanian Aboriginal people, including Elders, families, children, and young people with a safe and culturally respectful platform to speak their truth, and allow healing to begin," Minister Petrusma said.
The Government said its support for Truth-telling and Healing Commissioners forms part of its $4.4 million Closing the Gap commitment to be invested over the next four years.
