This final report is not a typical Royal Commission report because it answers a different call. When Yoorrook was established in May 2021 by the State Government and the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria, it was given a unique and important mandate. Beyond the normal inquiry functions of a Royal Commission, Yoorrook was also tasked with creating an official public record based on First Peoples’ experiences of systemic injustice since the start of colonisation. This has never been done before.

This report is a compilation of Yoorrook’s work and official public record. Contained in these pages are some of the missing pieces of our state’s jagged history. They are the words of First Peoples that will finally be granted admission to the public record alongside the version of history long accepted as definitive. None of this is done to deepen the wounds of colonisation, nor to create a sense of shame. It is done in the hope that by finally coming to terms with the past, all Victorians may develop a shared understanding of our history and a common aspiration for a future built on truth, justice and pride in the First Peoples of Victoria.

The report is divided into four main parts:

1. The Jagged Line draws on evidence given to Yoorrook in addition to secondary sources to provide a detailed account of the history of the State of Victoria from the start of colonisation. Written in the tradition of First Peoples’ approach to storytelling, it blends oral history, collective memoir and rigorous research to offer a new perspective on colonial history—a reclamation of Victoria’s past that privileges voices and stories previously overlooked or deliberately suppressed.
2. The Silence and the Telling examines the story of the Commission from its inception and earliest days to its conclusion – from the ceremonial opening and early roundtables to hearings on Country and at Yoorrook’s Collingwood precinct. It highlights some of Yoorrook’s key moments, including unprecedented apologies from government ministers.
3. Selected Testimonies comprises extracts of evidence from twenty-two key witnesses, spanning a range of themes and historical periods. The Commission engaged with more than 9,000 First Peoples, held sixty-five public hearing days with 208 witnesses and received more than 1,300 submissions. The evidence selected and summarised in this chapter offers an insight into the breadth and depth of the truths shared with Yoorrook.
4. Key Findings summarises ten key findings about the history of colonisation in Victoria made by Yoorrook, based on consistent themes identified in the evidence presented to the Commission across all areas of its inquiry. These key findings serve as important markers for setting the record straight and empowering all Victorians to move forwards with a shared understanding of our history.