Australia stands at a turning point. With the passage of the Statewide Treaty Bill in Victoria, we are witnessing a defining moment in this country’s history – the legislative recognition of First Peoples’ sovereignty.

It is a moment of profound significance not just for Aboriginal communities in Victoria, but for every Australian who believes in truth, justice and a shared belonging.

Treaty and truth-telling are not abstract ideals. They are the structural foundations of a more honest, mature and united nation. They are tangible steps on how we begin to repair the damage of colonisation, restore dignity to First Peoples, and build a future that includes all of us, not just in name, but in law, policy, and practice.

–  Travis Lovett, Kerrupmara Gunditjmara, Boandik

Truth-telling is the ‘why’

It is the reason we must act. It is the process of naming what happened and what is still happening. It is the courage to confront the legacy of invasion, dispossession, violence, and exclusion.

Our people have endured genocide, Stolen Generations, the desecration of sacred sites and attempted erasure of our languages. Yet through it all, our spirit of resistance has never been extinguished.

These truths are not comfortable. But they are necessary. Because without truth, there can be no justice. And without justice, there can be no true reconciliation.

Treaty is the ‘what’

It is the structural response to truth. It is the mechanism through which we begin to repair, return, and restore. Treaty is not a symbolic gesture – it is a legal and moral agreement. It recognises that First Peoples never ceded our sovereignty. It affirms our right to self-determination. It creates pathways for shared governance, land return, redress and cultural authority.

Victoria’s Treaty legislation is the first of its kind in Australia. It establishes Gellung Warl, a permanent First Peoples’ representative body and affirms the unceded sovereignty of Traditional Owners and lays the groundwork for future negotiations between Aboriginal communities and the state.

It also embeds Nyerna Yoorrook Telkuna, truth-telling as a permanent feature of our democratic landscape, not as a once-off inquiry but as an ongoing commitment to justice and healing.

This is not just a win for Victoria. It is a blueprint for the nation.

Some may ask: why now? My answer is, why not now? The time for silence has passed. Because the truths have been told. Because the harm has been documented. Because First Peoples have waited long enough.

Truth-telling and Treaty are not just about First Peoples. They are about all of us. They invite every Australian to reckon with our history, to understand our present and to shape our future. They ask us to move beyond denial and defensiveness and toward dignity, unity, justice, shared strength and celebration of the world’s oldest continuous living culture.

They also offer something powerful, the chance to build a nation that is honest about its past and proud of its future. A nation that doesn’t hide from its history, but learns from it and ensures it never repeats the same again. A nation that doesn’t treat First Peoples as a problem to be solved but as partners in building a better tomorrow together for everyone.

Treaty and truth-telling are not threats to unity they should be seen as its foundation. They do not divide us, they invite us to walk together, as we showed on the Walk For Truth – with purpose and in solidarity.

–  Travis Lovett, Kerrupmara Gunditjmara, Boandik

Across the country, we have seen momentum slow down – but in Victoria, we are already walking the path, we are bringing to life the dream our ancestors had for future generations. The Yoorrook Justice Commission has documented the lived experiences of First Peoples with clarity and courage, placing truth-telling at the heart of our democratic landscape.

Communities are leading the way, offering solutions grounded in culture, law, and survival.

But progress is not guaranteed. It requires commitment. It requires leadership. It requires governments to listen not just politely, but structurally. It requires institutions to change not just in policy, but in practice.

And it requires all of us to understand that truth-telling and Treaty are not ends in themselves. They are beginnings. They are the first steps in a long journey toward justice, healing, and a shared belonging for us all to walk together side by side.

This is not about rewriting history or laying blame. It is about writing the future together. If we are serious about reconciliation, we must be serious about truth. If we are serious about justice, we must be serious about Treaty. If we are serious about unity, we must be serious about repair.

Victoria is showing the country what is possible. Now it is time rest of the country must follow.

Choosing truth not as a polite gesture, but truth as a foundation. Building Treaty not as a transaction, but as transformation. Moving forward not in silence, but in strength in solidarity.

The future of this nation depends not on forgetting, but on remembering. Not on avoidance, but on action. Not on fear, but on truth.

And truth, when honoured, leads to justice. Justice, when enacted, leads to Treaty. And Treaty, when built with integrity, leads to a future we can all be proud of.

Written by Travis Lovett, Executive Director, Centre For Truth-Telling and Dialogue, University of Melbourne and Former Deputy Chair and Commissioner, Yoorrook Justice Commission.

‍