The Bill's purpose is to establish a Commission to inquire into and make recommendations to Parliament on historical and ongoing injustices against First Peoples by the Commonwealth, their impact, and appropriate means of acknowledgement and redress.

Key points

• Truth and Justice Commissions have been used in many countries, including stable democracies with Indigenous populations, to establish the facts of history and promote reconciliation and healing.
• Some previous high-profile Australian inquiries and commissions are comparable to the proposed Commission. These show the profound effects such inquiries can have on community understanding and wellbeing.
• The Bill responds to the Uluru Statement from the Heart’s  call for a Makarrata Commission, but may differ from what the Uluru Statement envisaged.
• The proposed Commission has a wide remit encompassing historical injustices perpetrated by the Commonwealth government and non-government bodies against First Peoples since pre-colonial times. Its Commonwealth-specific focus may mean
  that actions by states and pre-1901 colonial governments are out of its scope.
• The proposed Commission would have significant powers, modelled on the Royal Commissions Act 1902. It is unclear how these would work in practice, including protecting the rights of witnesses.
• There are potential risks regarding Indigenous data sovereignty, privacy and the Commission’s records.
• The Bill has been referred to the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs for inquiry,