A Step Towards Unity: YourCH and Yoorrook’s ‘Walking Together’

Last year, Your Community Health (YourCH) staff actively contributed to a truth-telling process as part of Yoorrook’s ‘Walking Together’ consultation. Twenty-seven team members, including Aboriginal and non-Indigenous participants, engaged in two sessions focused on reflecting on the ongoing impacts of colonisation, the need for greater education about Australia’s history, and the roles individuals and organisations can play in truth-telling and the Treaty process. These sessions created a space for open dialogue and meaningful reflection, fostering a deeper understanding of colonisation’s legacy and the systemic inequities faced by First Nations communities.

The Yoorrook Justice Commission, Victoria’s first truth-telling body, investigates the historical and ongoing injustices experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples due to colonisation. Its mission is to promote truth-telling, healing, and justice, and to provide recommendations that address systemic inequities and support self-determination.

YourCH’s submission to Yoorrook reflects the collective insights of our team and reaffirms our commitment to Truth, Treaty, and Justice. Truth-telling is an integral foundation for the Treaty process, as it acknowledges the past and creates pathways for justice and healing. We recognise Treaty as an essential step toward self-determination, justice, and equity for First Nations peoples, and critical to dismantling the barriers that have long impacted First Nations communities, paving the way for improved health and wellbeing.