What you said about the Truth Telling Inquiry

Queenslanders have been split in their opinions after the first day of the truth telling inquiryinto the effects of colonisation through the first-hand accounts of First Nations people. WHAT YOU SAID

The committee includes Wiradjuri and Filipino man and first Federal Court Judicial Registrar Indigenous appointment Ivan Ingram (L), Torres Strait Islander woman and chief executive of the Torres Strait Regional Authority Vonda Malone, Joshua Creamer, Guwamu woman and publisher and first Queensland Corrective Services Aboriginal Commissioner Cheryl Buchanan, and Queensland Supreme Court judge Roslyn Atkinson AO. Picture: Mikaela Mulveney

The first day of alandmark Truth telling inquiryinto the effects of colonisation through the first-hand accounts of First Nations people wrapped up in Brisbane on Monday.

It was the first of a three-day session during which both First Nations and non-Indigenous people’s truths and Queensland’s history will be investigated.

More than 1000 people filled the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre to mark the opening day, with public truth-telling hearings to begin on Wednesday.

Established under the Path to Treaty Act 2023, the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry aims to create a more complete historic account of colonisation in Queensland by collating the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, including descendants of the thousands murdered.

With the state election looming, there were fears an inquiry into the effects of colonisation on Indigenous Queenslanders may never happen again if the LNP derails the historic investigation should it be elected.

The landmark inquiry has sparked conversation among The Courier-Mail’s readers; some questioned Premier Steven Miles’ lack of explanation on the inquiry’s future impacts, while others embraced the inquiry.

WHAT YOU SAID

Cheryl

I think the Coalition is constantly in catch up mode. Miles is setting the agenda and the goodies are too good to refuse thus the Coalition has to match the gifts. The Coalition needs to get on the front foot otherwise the other mob might spring a small surprise and not be completely run over.

Sheri

A treaty cannot be made now, but in any case, the first step in any treaty would be for the hundreds of tribes to make a treaty with themselves first – it is documented that they fought with each other and the role of the native police is documented in that.

Jennifer

We have to find a way to sort out this mess but I don’t believe in a treaty. we do owe some Aboriginal some sort of help for our elders that who were treated badly but my generation shouldn’t get a handout. I am of Aboriginal heritage my mother’s mother was a stolen member but to this day I have never received any help of any sort. what I have which is not much I got myself and am grateful I have housing commission house.

ComnSense (aka Pending)

A referendum is the opportunity for the people to have a direct say in the proposals put out by politicians. The federal Voice referendum clearly rejected the Truth Telling and Treaty proposal by 68.9 per cent. That is an overwhelming majority.

The extreme dishonesty of the Federal Labor/Greens/Teals alliance to then quietly and surreptitiously inject the overwhelmingly rejected Voice proposals through the backdoor via the Labor controlled States amounts to treason against the people of this nation, be they ancestors of settlers or Aboriginal.

The States have no mandate for this and all Truth or Treaty impositions to date and in future proposals must be reversed and normality in governance of the States restored to suit the will of the people.

Tom

This is one of the greatest reasons why Queensland Labor will lose the election. They just don’t listen to the people of Queensland. We said ‘No’ to ‘The Voice’ and Queensland Labor goes against what the majority of Queenslanders don’t want i.e. More public funds being wasted. The Queensland Labor don’t listen to the pleas from thousands over youth crime. Enough is enough. It’s time for a change in government.

Blake Joseph

I’ve never been forced to sit through a Welcome to Country. It’s a pleasure and honour that after everything the First Nations people have been through, they still have the grace and dignity to reach out and share their history with us. It makes me so sad the way people react negatively to it. It’s such a small way to show respect but for some reason people can’t even extend a moment of their time.

The Better Half

History is just that- history, gone, past. Instead of wasting money on trying to rewrite history that will never be accurate as no-one living today was there, concentrate on the future. Nothing will ever change as long as people continue to be outraged at events long ago that cannot be changed. Move forward, not backwards.

Mark

Just for once I would like a premier to tell the truth

Pete

The current NZ Government is at this very moment formulating a bill that will analyse clarify and correct all the anomalies created by the previous Labor Government which created an absolute minefield and drove diversity to another level in NZ with the Waitangi Treaty. Let this be a lesson to Australia. Creating unnecessary and unwanted treaties will only create diversity and disharmony as the voice referendum did.

William

Put the Truth Telling in the perspective and standards of the time they occurred and don’t ignore the actions the indigenous people.

Daniel

Why be quiet about this Miles? You’d think if you were proud of this inquiry you’d be crowing to Queenslanders from the rooftops. You’d be telling voters how wonderful it is. You’d have it right up there with 50 cent fares and the electricity rebates that we shouldn’t need anyway. Could it be that most voters detest this stuff as much as I do?