The ASRC joins in solidarity with the Yoorrook Justice Commission

Tomorrow, Monday 16 June 2025, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) is honoured to host the Yoorrook Justice Commission in Footscray as Deputy Chair, Commissioner Travis Lovett, completes the historic Walk for Truth from Portland where colonisation began to the Victorian Parliament.

As an ally, the ASRC is proud to support and take action alongside the Commission’s truth telling work.

The Footscray leg of the journey includes a stop day where proud Kerrupmara Gunditjmara man Travis Lovett will join the ASRC’s CEO, Kon Karapanagiotidis in a panel event reflecting on the Walk for Truth, truth telling and the importance of allyship. The panel will be followed by a community lunch. ASRC staff, volunteers and members will be in attendance. ASRC representatives will then join the Walk for Truth on Tuesday June 17th from Footscray to the Shrine.

The Walk for Truth is the first formal truth-telling process into historical and ongoing injustices experienced by First Nations People. After hearing the evidence from First Nations peoples and other Victorians across the state, the final report will be delivered to the Victorian Government and First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria in June.

The ASRC is proud to walk with the Yoorrook Justice Commission and move towards meaningful reconciliation through truth-telling. Truth is one of the three key areas of work identified in the Uluru Statement from the Heart, as is Treaty, ASRC is a Friend of Treaty and supports the process of Treaty for Victoria as allies, honouring our commitment to building a community where the right to self-determination of First Nations People are recognised and respected by all.

Kon Karapanagiotidis, ASRC CEO, said:

“The ASRC is honoured and proud to be part of this historic movement, and to celebrate the strength and resistance of First Nations people. As the theme of this year’s National Reconciliation Week, Bridging Now to Next urges, we stand firm in our determination to use our knowledge of the past to create a positive change in the future.

“The ASRC stands united with First Nations peoples and calls on the Victorian Government to address systemic injustices that continue to disadvantage First Nations peoples. We are grateful to the Commission for its work towards healing in Victoria, and hope to see system reforms, including treaty, practical changes to laws, policy, and education.”

About the Walk for Truth

As Victoria’s first formal truth-telling process, over the past four years Yoorrook has heard powerful truths from people right across the state, giving evidence on the impacts of colonisation, including systemic injustice, as well as the strength, resistance, and achievements of First Peoples.
These truths form the basis of Yoorrook’s final reports, documenting the past and providing a roadmap to transform the future.

This powerful journey aims to bring everyone together to walk toward truth, celebrate the strength and resistance of Aboriginal people, and be proud to have the oldest living culture in the world as ours.

The walk will be a powerful way to build a shared understanding of these truths, talking together about our history, while walking together to transform our future. For First Peoples and for all Victorians.

Yoorrook Justice Deputy Chair, Commissioner Travis Lovett is walking more than 450 kilometres from Gunditjmara Country in Portland, where colonisation began, to the Victorian Parliament on Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Country in May and June 2025.

For more information see here.

About the ASRC

As a human rights organisation that speaks out against injustice with refugees and people seeking asylum, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) reaffirms our commitment to voice, truth, and treaty for First Nations people.

As we stated from the beginning of our public commitment to reconciliation and the Yes campaign, our vision is that all Australians, First Nations people, and those who have come here seeking asylum can live safely, sustainably, independently, and equally.

We imagine a future where First Nations people’s cultures, histories, and rights are recognised and valued by everyone in our community, forming a proud part of our shared national identity.