By BARRY JUDD
Truth-telling is reshaping how the University of Melbourne engages with First Peoples, its own history, and the communities it serves. In May 2024, we released Dhoombak Goobgoowana: A History of Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne. Volume One – titled Truth – documents the University’s role in the colonial project of Australia, its enrichment through the dispossession of Indigenous people from their land and the exploitation of their labour, and the exclusion of Indigenous people and knowledges from the institution. Later this year, Volume Two – titled Voice – will tell the history of trailblazing Indigenous students, staff and alumni who overcame significant barriers to transform the University from within.
The focus now shifts from acknowledgement to action. The University’s support for the historic Walk for Truth is one example of truth-telling in action and a tangible demonstration of our commitment.
Australian universities are under intense pressure. Expected to do more with less, they must also respond to increasing scrutiny, and meet the complex and evolving expectations of governments, industry, and the public. The Universities Accord, released last year, made this clear, calling for significant changes to deliver the skills, knowledge, and ambition required to tackle the nation’s social, economic, and environmental challenges.
Yet at the same time, public confidence in universities is declining. Concerns about executive pay, underpayment of staff and an over-reliance on international students have fuelled growing scepticism. If universities are to regain public trust and deliver on the recommendations set out in the Accord, they must clearly demonstrate their value in tangible, visible ways.
This begins with stepping back and reflecting on purpose: What role should universities play in contemporary society? Which communities do they serve? And how do we demonstrate impact – not only through teaching and research – in the way we partner with and contribute to our communities?
The recent efforts of a dedicated group of staff and students from the University of Melbourne on the Walk for Truth offers important insights into these questions.
On Wednesday 19 June, the historic Walk concluded on the steps of Victoria’s Parliament House. Led by Commissioner Travis Lovett of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, the Walk began in Portland, the site of the first permanent European settlement in Victoria, and travelled more than 500 kilometres, ending with the delivery of the Commissions’ final report to the Victorian Parliament. More than 14,000 people joined Commissioner Lovett on his journey to raise awareness about the Commission's truth-telling inquiry and the ongoing impacts of colonisation on First Peoples in Victoria.
The University of Melbourne was a proud supporter of the Walk for Truth as part of our broader commitment to Indigenous-led truth-telling. This contribution was of both symbolic and practical significance – recognition of the historic ties the University has to wealthy pastoralists in Western Victoria who dispossessed Indigenous people while enriching the university, and an opportunity to provide hands on support. Through our Indigenous Portfolio, the University provided in-kind support including project management, logistics, vehicles, procurement and volunteer coordination. The work was directed by Yoorrook and Indigenous Elders and leaders, who determined the priorities and invited the University to assist.
The Walk challenged the idea that universities are slow-moving or disconnected from real-world events. The University mobilised quickly. Professional staff stepped up, volunteering as drivers, marshals and communications experts. Academics and their students also contributed their expertise in physiotherapy and nursing. Senior leaders, including the Vice-Chancellor, hosted a major event at our Werribee campus during the final days of the Walk, with hundreds of community members being welcomed onto Bunurong Country with a smoking led by Aunty Jillian West.
For us, participating was not a difficult decision. The Walk was a tangible response to the Indigenous history of this university.
Contributing to the Walk for Truth was a chance to walk the talk by participating in truth-telling in action and at scale, transforming an academic endeavour into public experience. The route crossed Gunditjmara Country and the lands of the Eastern Maar, Wadawurrung, Bunurong and Wurundjeri peoples. It was shaped through deep community consultation with Indigenous Elders and Traditional Owners. “What I’m most proud of about this Walk is walking alongside our people… [guiding] where we went and which areas of historical and cultural significance they wanted to highlight and share with all of society,” said Commissioner Lovett.
The Walk also exemplified what partnership in this space requires: supporting Indigenous-led work, sharing resources, and taking a back seat. For a large institution, this required agility, humility and trust.
As Dhoombak Goobgoowana shows, the University has rarely acted with integrity toward the First Peoples of this continent. We now have a responsibility – and an opportunity – to rebuild trust with Indigenous communities.
Our next step is to establish an Indigenous-led Centre for Truth-Telling and Dialogue. This Centre will embed truth-telling as a core function of the University, providing a hub for research, civic engagement and public impact. It will support communities, governments and institutions – locally, nationally and internationally – to undertake truth-telling processes informed by the Victorian experience.
Through these efforts, the University is not just confronting its past, we are working towards a different future grounded in genuine partnership with First Peoples. The Walk for Truth has shown what can be achieved when universities work together with community and with a commitment to Indigenous self-determination.
Truth-telling is not a single event, it is ongoing work. Nationally, the Albanese Government has signalled interest in a broader truth-telling commission. The University of Melbourne is well placed to support this work. But regardless of the political landscape, our commitment will endure.
Professor Barry Judd is Deputy Vice Chancellor, Indigenous at the University of Melbourne.