Torres Strait Islander community thankful to see Queensland’s truth-telling and healing inquiry launch

While emotional scenes greeted the inquiry's arrival, it could be under threat, with the state's opposition vowing to scrap truth-telling.

Betty Tekahika-Mabo (left) says truth-telling of atrocities brought upon her family during colonisation will help heal. Credit: NITV: Carli Willis

Queensland has begun holding educational forums ahead of launching its truth-telling and healing inquiry later this month.

Some of the first forums were held on Waiben, Thursday Island, in the Torres Strait.

It was an emotional day, as tears were shed and voices shook.

Elders and community members shared with inquiry members why they want, and even need, to share their truths.

Betty Tekahika (nee Mabo) is the eldest daughter of the late Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo.

She says she wants the world to know about the behind-the-scenes struggles of her father’s fight for land back.

“He struggled fighting with these two giants, the state and the Commonwealth governments,” she said.

‘Koiki’ led the decade-long landmark ‘Mabo’ case, taking the state and Commonwealth governments to the high court over land rights and winning.

Sadly Koiki did not live to see the decision in 1992 that would overturn the notion of ‘terra nullius’ – that Australia was ‘land belonging to no-one’ and pave the way for native title legislation.

“I need to give that story so that can heal me – it's a healing and truth telling – we have to tell the truth.”

Looming election threat to truth-telling and healing

Vonda Malone wants to help Torres Strait Islander communities to tell their truth to the inquiry. Credit: NITV: Carli Willis

As a state election looms and the opposition leader promises to roll back Queensland’s Path to Treaty Act back if they win, inquiry members are trying to remain positive.

Torres Strait Islander and inquiry member Vonda Malone said Indigenous peoples have survived through many government changes that have politicised their affairs.

“We have a huge task [and] we are doing everything to make sure we continue with this process,” she said.

“We are obligated to our people to get this process started, hence why the ceremonial hearing will take place in Brisbane in the next two weeks.

“We have to start now to heal and move forward.”

Waanyi and Kalkadoon man Joshua Creamer is the Inquiry Chair and brings a wealth of legal knowledge to the table.

As a barrister specialising in native title, human rights and class actions, he’s worked on some landmark cases including stolen wages and stolen generations cases.

He said the inquiry would have access to documents that may not have been seen before, with some limits.

“Queensland State Archives, for example, is a body in Queensland that holds many, many records on our first peoples, many personal records,” he said.

“Also records relevant to different missions and different regions.

“There are records that are closed, that we won't have access to, [and] there are personal records that we obviously will need consent of people to access.”

Mr Creamer said the Inquiry team would do their work in a culturally informed, trauma informed way that ensured people had prior and informed consent.

Healing from oppression, racism and apartheid

Meriam dancers shared culture at the event to “lift the mood” for emotional discussion that would ensue. Credit: NITV: Carli Willis

Other states that have taken up the truth-telling process include Victoria, Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales.

Like Queensland, Victoria’s process was allowed three years, only they are now at the tail end of that.

“We are learning a lot from what they have done in Victoria…[they're] very similar to what we're doing with the truth-telling and hearing, inquiring, uncovering the stories of what it meant for the First Nations people in Victoria,” said Ms Malone.

Ms Tekahika-Mabo said her family suffered at the hands of racism and apartheid for generations.

“My granddad would always tell me a story about how they'd been treated in the boat when they used to work on the boat for pearl shells and trochus shells,” she said.

“At age of 10, I was started to look at myself [and think], I'm growing – what is going to be there for me when I grow older?”

Ms Mabo said her Aunty had been sent to a “black” school, which was very strict on the children.

“We Indigenous people, we black, we Islanders, were not allowed to do things,” she said.

Only the people who've got white skin were able to get what they want.

“[My Aunty] was talking to me with tears and eyes [and] she's still sitting there knowledgeable that you can talk to her and get stories out of her how the treatment was before.

“Let's pull the string together [with one mind, one heart, one thought – how we going to improve ourselves with this truth telling and healing.”