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. This is referred to as the Truth-telling process.

Community consultations

In 2024, the department’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Initiatives team undertook the first round of community consultations across NSW to inform the department’s Truth-telling process. The team heard and collated Communities' perspectives on Truth-telling and how the department should acknowledge and respond to any findings.

The team then returned to Communities to share what was heard, ensuring perspectives were recorded correctly and to discuss the next steps.

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, which included community workshops, yarning circles, and interviews to capture stories from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Communities.

The aim of the University’s research is to understand:

• how the department’s past policies and practices impacted the lives of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
• current student experiences in schools and students’ future aspirations.
• experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander parents with a student in a government school.

The research component of this work has concluded and a report is currently being finalised.

Contact us

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact truth-telling@det.nsw.edu.au