About truth-telling

The NSW Department of Education has commenced a formal process to document its role and impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and educational outcomes in NSW. The need for truth-telling was identified through the consultation process that informed the development of the department’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.

Truth-telling research

The Purai Global Indigenous History Centre at the University of Newcastle commenced its research in late 2023. The first stage of the research consisted of an archival and literature review.

The university commenced the second stage of the research in June 2024, and this remains ongoing. The second stage includes undertaking oral history interviews and focus groups with community members across NSW to hear about stories and experiences from those with lived experiences of the education system.

The university will be commencing its third stage of the research in late August 2024, undertaking yarning circles with school students to understand aspirations for our future. The research will be finalised in December 2024.

Community consultations

From March to May 2024, the department’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) team undertook the first round of community consultations across NSW to inform the department’s truth-telling process. Communities' perspectives on the research and how the department should acknowledge and respond to the research were heard and collated.

Second round

In late August 2024, the RAP team returned to communities to share what was heard, ensuring perspectives were captured correctly, provide an update on their research and discuss the next steps.

Have Your Say survey – second truth-telling community consultation

In 2023, the NSW Department of Education commenced a formal process to document our role and impact on Aboriginal culture. This is referred to as Truth Telling and is an important part of our reconciliation journey. It includes meaningful consultation, so that we can gather diverse perspectives and feedback from a wide range of stakeholders. To ensure that as many people as possible can contribute to the community consultation, the department has worked with the Department of Customer Service to launch a dedicated online consultation option via the Have Your Say digital engagement platform.

The online questions will take 5-10 minutes to complete and there is also an option to submit a written submission.

Feedback will be treated anonymously and will be collected and included as part of a broader community consultation report.

All feedback is greatly valued and will be used to guide the future use of the research by the department.

University of Newcastle Research

The Purai Global Indigenous History Centre at the University of Newcastle commenced their research in late 2023. The first stage of the research consisted of an archival and literature review.

In April 2024 the University commenced the second stage of their research. Research methods including community workshops, yarning circles and interviews will be conducted to capture stories from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The aim is to understand the following:

• how the department’s past policies and practices impacted the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

• current student experiences in schools and future aspirations.

• experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents with a student in a government school.

Register your interest

If you are interested in participating in a community consultation workshop, you can register your interest by completing the register form.

Contact us

For further information or questions about the NSW Department of Education’s Truth-telling process, please contact rap@det.nsw.edu.au