Queenslanders are invited to be part of history in the making on Monday 16 September 2024 by attending the Ceremonial Hearing of the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry in Meanjin (Brisbane) and its first public hearings from 18 to 20 September 2024.
Inquiry Chairperson Joshua Creamer (main picture) said he expected thousands of Queenslanders to attend in-person or via livestream during the Ceremonial Hearing, one of the first steps in a three-year process to understand the impact of colonisation on Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“The Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry is a Queensland-first and I invite everyone to be open to learning more about our state’s history and to approach the Inquiry with respect and curiosity,” Mr Creamer said.
“The Inquiry will help us listen, share and collect evidence on a scale like never before, gaining a more accurate picture of how colonisation has impacted Aboriginal peoples, Torres Strait Islander peoples, and their families and communities.
“Upcoming Inquiry hearings will play a vital role in this three-year process, as we explore deeper, more personal first-hand accounts from our many and varied Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, including some hard truths.
“I invite all Queenslanders who are open to hearing the personal histories and evidence being shared by Elders, historians and community members in coming weeks to attend the initial hearings.
“While you do not need to register for these events, RSVPs are recommended for the Ceremonial Hearing on Monday 16 September via the Inquiry’s website.”
According to the latest Census (ABS), the Brisbane local government area is home to Queensland’s highest number (22,940) of those identifying as Aboriginal peoples or Torres Strait Islander peoples, while more than a third (82,000) of the state’s Indigenous population lives across Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Logan, Gold Coast and Ipswich LGAs1.
“All Queenslanders deserve the chance to be heard, understood and supported, and we’ve all got a responsibility to listen,” Mr Creamer said.
“In Meanjin (Brisbane), we will start Queensland’s truth-telling process, which will include many first-hand and valuable accounts by Elders, before visiting communities across the state over the next three years.
“Through the Inquiry, we hope Queenslanders can better understand the valuable contributions and the unique needs and challenges of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the power of acknowledging and embracing these.
1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2022) ‘Queensland: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population summary’, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Census, 2021 https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/queensland-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-population-summary, accessed 29 August 2024.
“We acknowledge that elements of the Inquiry may be both cathartic and traumatic for those who share their stories as well as their families and communities, as there will be potentially distressing themes.”
The Inquiry is focused on ensuring a trauma-informed culturally sensitive approach including for those attending, so we encourage all watching and listening to be mindful of their own needs.
For more information, visit www.truth-telling-qld.com.au
About the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry:
The Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry is an independent inquiry with five members, Chairperson Joshua Creamer and Members the Honourable Roslyn Atkinson AO, Cheryl Buchanan, Ivan Ingram, and Vonda Malone.
The Inquiry commenced on 1 July 2024 with the aim to listen, share and collect evidence on a scale like never before, gaining a more accurate picture of how colonisation has impacted our Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Through the Inquiry, Queenslanders can better understand the contributions and the unique needs and challenges of First Nations peoples, and the shared benefits of acknowledging and embracing these.
As the father, grandfather and great-grandfather of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islanders (wife is a Drummond from TI), and having worked in the Community in Brisbane for forty years up to February 2020, though not Indigenous myself, I see this as a great opportunity to get some important truths out to the Community, and most importantly, to protect the lives and future health of our babies and children, who are our future.
It is imperative for us to get our Governments at all levels to ban the use of ALL mRNA based injections etc, especially on our children and babies, because they were developed by the US Department of Defence, among others, for use as bio-weapons, that is, to kill and maim people. NOTHING THAT WILL BE TALKED ABOUT IN THESE TRUTH-TELLING SESSIONS WILL BE MORE IMPORTANT – because the future of our people depends on it!
There is plenty of evidence to back up my position on this, but you will not hear them on Mainstream Media, but we do hear that things like child-hood cancer, autism and heart problems have increased significantly over the past 3 years (since Covid shots) and the cause is a mystery to doctors as they will not consider the fact that it could have come from something they have done.
Very uncomfortable TRUTH, I know, but truth none-the-less, and extremely important for the future of all Australians!