Event Recording: Treaty, Truth and Justice
In October, the Hub helped host Talking Treaty, Truth & Justice. Featuring Rueben Berg, Travis Lovett and Dr Crystal McKinnon, and moderated by Professor Nicole Watson, the event landed at a pivotal moment - just after the Treaty Bill cleared the lower house and headed toward becoming law.
This recording is of Talking Treaty, Truth & Justice, held at the Melbourne Law School on Wednesday, 22 October 2025. The Indigenous Law and Justice Hub co-hosted this forum with ANTaR, City of Melbourne and The University of Melbourne.
Audience members were taken on the journey that has been Treaty in Victoria, exploring the historic pathway leading to the in-principle agreement of Australia’s first Treaty. We were privileged to hear from distinguished panel members about truth-telling, treaty negotiation, and the next steps toward justice and self-determination for First Peoples.
Panel & Moderator:
- Rueben Berg – Co-Chair, First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.
- Travis Lovett – Executive Director, Centre for Truth Telling & Dialogue; former Deputy Chair & Commissioner of the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
- Dr Crystal McKinnon – Amangu Yamatji academic, historian and Indigenous studies scholar, Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne.
- Moderator: Professor Nicole Watson - Director of the Indigenous Law and Justice Hub.
The event was bookmarked by two critical moments in Victoria’s Treaty journey — the Bill having just passed the lower house and awaiting its eventual passing through the upper house and into law. It was an opportunity to shine a spotlight on what’s been achieved, what remains to be done, and how the broader community can engage. The presence of these leading voices in Indigenous leadership, scholarship and advocacy at this time brought depth, clarity and an understanding of achievement to the discussion, grounding the conversation in both lived experience and the historic significance of this next phase.