Truth, Voice, and Justice: Reflections from Yoorrook

Truth-telling is not abstract — it is lived, contested, and deeply human. In this powerful session, Elizabeth Balderstone, Peter Sharp, and Jan Wositzky reflect on the work and significance of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Australia’s first formal truth-telling process into historic and ongoing injustices experienced by First Peoples in Victoria. Through testimony, insight, and lived experience, this conversation brings truth-telling out of official chambers and into the heart of the festival — asking what justice looks like, how stories shape reform, and what responsibility listeners carry once truth is spoken. A vital, moving, and necessary discussion about memory, accountability, and the long work of justice.