Reconciliation strives to strengthen relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and non-Indigenous peoples (Reconciliation Australia, 2025a). Truth-telling is vital to undertaking reconciliation by acknowledging injustice and denied facts relevant to First Nations People, thus allowing greater understanding and increased historical knowledge from the (over 65,000 years) period before colonisation (Reconciliation WA, 2025; Reconciliation Australia, 2025c). Truth-telling encourages actions and practices that aim to enforce a more comprehensive understanding of Australian history, and the continuous legacy this has for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (Vines, 2022; Reconciliation Australia, 2025a). One of the most monumental calls for Truth-telling arose from the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart, which called for a process of Truth-telling and agreement-making between governments and First Nations (Vines, 2022). This was significant as it was addressed to Australia as a whole, whilst requesting government response and understanding of truth-telling. Disappointingly, the Uluru Statement from the Heart was initially dismissed by the Australian Government. However, there are examples of how Truth-telling has been successfully integrated into Australian society, including the Carrolup Centre for Truth-telling, the renaming of significant sites to their traditional names, and the construction of statues like Balbuk Yooreel (Curtin University, 2025a; Landgate, 2025; Government House of Western Australia, 2025)
How Truth-telling Can Take Place to Promote Reconciliation
Truth-telling is concerned with bringing awareness to the injustices First Nations People have experienced, and is focused on recognising the overlooked contributions that have been made to Australian culture and society by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (ANTAR, 2024a). It is necessary that the Truth-telling process be conducted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in order to ensure that Truth-telling discusses the impact of history on First Nations People today, utilises First Nations’ perspectives, and is a continuous activity (Reconciliation Australia, 2025c). Truth-telling can be undertaken at a community, institutional or national level, with the benefits of Truth-telling being felt across all three levels. For example, addressing injustices at an institutional level, promoting healing at the community level and calling for national redress (Reconciliation Australia, 2025c). In Australia, Truth-telling is centred around four themes: acknowledging violence committed by the colonial State towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People; reconceptualising Australian nationhood to recognise First Nations’ prior and current occupation; promoting the redress of injustice; and healing relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and non-Indigenous peoples (ANTAR, 2024a).
Ways that Truth-telling can be undertaken include memorials, commissions, public art and events, the renaming of places to their First Nations names, formal apologies and community consultations (Reconciliation Australia, 2025b; ANTAR, 2025). For example, Truth-telling is evident in the establishment of the Carrolup Centre for Truth-telling, located at Curtin University’s Bentley campus in Western Australia (Curtin University, 2025a). The centre houses rare artworks created by Stolen Generation Aboriginal children who were taken from their families to the Carrolup School and settlement in Katanning during the 1940s (Figure 2) (Curtin University, 2025b). The artworks were originally displayed at Perth and Katanning, and included in The West Australian, before a selection was purchased and taken across Australia, New Zealand and Europe; the selection was later sold and displayed in New York, where they remained for over 60 years (Curtin University, 2025b; Government House of Western Australia, 2020). It wasn’t until 2013 that the artworks were returned to Nyungar country, where they will be permanently housed at the Carrolup Centre for Truth-telling, which remains operational today (Government House of Western Australia, 2020). The artwork is valuable as it provides insights into the lived experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who were subject to Australia’s dark history, including the Stolen Generation (Government House of Western Australia, 2020).
A national example of Truth-telling is the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, hereafter, the Commission. The Commission was formed in 1987 following public concern that Aboriginal deaths in custody were being poorly explained and were occurring too frequently (National Archives of Australia, 2025). The evasive explanations given for these deaths at the time, led many to become suspicious that foul play was involved. As a result, the Commission began investigating the circumstances surrounding 99 deaths that had occurred in custody from January 1980 to May 1989 (Whimp, 1998; Amnesty International, 2025). The Commission’s Final Report did indicate no violence or brutality occurred, however, it identified a lack of care, and revealed failures by governments, police and prison authorities to protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in custody (Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, 2022; Whimp, 1998). The Final Report detailed 339 recommendations to improve interactions between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and the justice system; these include changing prison conditions, undertaking policy reform, implementing crime prevention programs, reforming police work and amending legislation (Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, 2022; ANTAR, 2024b). Despite these recommendations, First Nations deaths in police custody have doubled since 2007, and over 600 First Nations Peoples have died either in prison or in police custody since the Final Report (ANTAR, 2024b)
Another example of Truth-telling can be seen in the renaming of Kings Square to Walyalup Koort in Fremantle, Western Australia (Landgate, 2025). This name change was facilitated through a community engagement process and vote with Truth-telling about the traditional language for the area (City of Fremantle, 2021). The process revealed that the community held a clear preference for reverting Kings Square to the traditional name of Walylup Koort, which means ‘heart of Fremantle’ (City of Fremantle, 2021).
In the last five years, statues have become a popular mode of achieving Truth-telling. For example, a statue dedicated to Balbuk Yooreel is located in Government House Gardens in Perth (Figure 3). Balbuk’s knowledge of Whadjuk Country was significant in paving the way for Native Title claims, and Balbuk was an influential advocate for her people as she was a strong opponent to the loss of traditional land (Government House of Western Australia, 2025). Additionally, Wirin, a statue made from cast iron and steel, can be found in the heart of Yagan Square, Perth. Wirin represents the inseparable connection between all life on Boodja (Country) and symbolises the link between people, culture and Country (Development WA, 2025).
Understanding is Integral for Truth-telling
One of the primary aims of Truth-telling is to increase Australia’s understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, and an influential way this can happen is through improving historical knowledge (Vines, 2022). Accepting the hard truths of Australia’s history is necessary to moving forward in a peaceful way, and this cannot occur without an accurate understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history (Reconciliation Australia, 2018; Wedesweiler, 2007). An accurate and improved understanding of history is crucial as it provides information on injustices to prevent the recurrence of a dark history (Payne & Norman, 2024). Additionally, an increase in historical knowledge will help generate a shared understanding of Australian history, support healing for First Nations People, provide greater recognition of the current impact of the past on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives, and build a greater sense of community (Payne & Norman, 2024). Individuals can increase their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history by speaking with community members or Elders, formally engaging a mentor, volunteering with Aboriginal communities or corporations, or taking an Aboriginal studies course (Korff, 2023; Emerging Minds, 2019). Attending First Nations events (e.g. NAIDOC week, Welcome to Country ceremonies, etc.), attending Aboriginal theatre performances, reading books by Aboriginal authors or engaging with Aboriginal art (music, artworks, films, museums, etc.) are other ways to gain more awareness and knowledge
Truth-telling in Organisation
It is important for companies to promote Truth-telling in their workplaces, which can be initiated by identifying the roles that First Nations People have in the company (employees, stakeholders, community members, etc) and listening to their experiences (Diversity Council Australia, 2025; Wright, 2025). Truth-telling can be further supported by companies showing First Nations films and documentaries at lunchtimes or in staff meetings to promote awareness as a knowledge-building activity (Dimitropoulos, 2022). Additionally, employees can undertake training sessions or webinars to grow their understanding and respect in the workplace (Dimitropoulos, 2022). For example, Indigenous Allied Health Association offers workplace training and consulting for those in the health sector, and Cross Cultural Consultants provides training solutions to promote communication and cultural understanding in diverse work environments (Cross Cultural Consultants, 2025; Indigenous Allied Health Australia, 2025).
It is also crucial for companies to provide time, funding and influence to First Nations-led initiatives, and businesses need to publicly support First Nations voices (Diversity Council Australia, 2025; Wright, 2025). This can include making donations to Aboriginal charities or organisations, and volunteering or partnering with First Nations businesses (Dimitropoulos, 2022). These actions support reconciliation as employment is one of the most significant gaps between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and non-Indigenous people (Diversity Council Australia, 2025). This is seen through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People facing a lower employment rate than non-Indigenous Australians across every age group (Figure 4) (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024)
Integrate Sustainability has experience working with First Nations People, if your business needs support with engagement activities or needs assistance implementing Truth-telling, please contact us by email at enquiries@integratesustainability.com.au or call us at 08 9468 0338.
ISPL- Truth-telling-PDF
References
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