National Walk For Truth Has Begun
Video and Pictures and Words From Kick Off Day 19 April 2026 Naarm
Thane Garvey-Gannaway is a proud Wurundjeri man and an Indigenous educator, cultural practitioner, and community leader based in Victoria, Australia.Listen to him….
Travis Lovett, a Kerrupmara Gunditjmara man, served as a commissioner and co-chair on the Yoorrook Justice Commission, the country’s first formal, Indigenous-led truth-telling inquiry. He completed the first stage of his walk for truth in May last year, when he trekked 486km from Portland in Victoria’s south-west, on Gunditjmara country, to the steps of state parliament in Melbourne.
Listen to some words from Travis…
Yesterday, the 19th of April, Lovett kicked off his 800KM walk from Victoria’s Parliament to the White Fellas’ Big House in Canberra. I was there to give my support with my feet and to acknowledge that the truth is all that matters in dealing with the past here in Australia.
Travis wrote the words below. Please have a read. When you are done, see when the walk gets near you and walk with Travis on one of the public sections. if you cannot make one, please try to get to Canberra when the walk completes at the end of May.
The truth must be spoken. The truth must be told. The truth is all that matters.
“Every generation reaches a point where it must decide whether it will face the truth or keep walking around it. Australia is at that point now.
Across this continent, people are preparing to walk, in cities, in small towns, on Country, along coastlines, through suburbs and across the long road from Naarm to Canberra. This is the National Walk for Truth and it is bigger than any single event. It is a national invitation to step into honesty, to learn, to listen and to face the full story of this country so we can build something better together.
For decades, Australia has circled around truth‑telling without ever fully stepping into it. We have acknowledged parts of our history while avoiding the parts that demand change. We have been comfortable with the truths that make us feel good and uncomfortable with the truths that require responsibility. But a country cannot build fairness, respect or unity on top of selective truth. The truth is the truth and it sits there whether we acknowledge it or not.
Truth‑telling is not symbolic work. It is structural work. It is about understanding how the systems we live inside today were built. It is about the policies, decisions and institutions that have shaped the lives of First Peoples for generations. It is about the evidence, the testimonies, the archives, the lived experience that shows clearly how harm was created and how it continues. And it is about the responsibility of all Australians to understand this, not as a history lesson, but as the starting point for real change.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission has already shown the country what truth‑telling looks like when it is done with honesty and rigour. Thousands of pages of evidence and findings now sit before governments. They are not abstract. They are not theoretical. They are the truth of how this country has treated its First Peoples and what must change if we are serious about justice. And the reality is this the targets designed to improve equity for First Peoples will never be met unless we confront why the gap exists in the first place. Truth at a state level is not enough. Australia needs a national truth‑telling process one that brings the whole country into this work, honours the truths already told and creates space for the truths still waiting to be heard.
And here is the critical point, the public is ready, Communities are ready. Families are ready. Young people are ready. The only hesitation left sits within the systems that have the most responsibility to act. Last year, more than 22,000 people walked for truth in Victoria. Elders, families, school groups, allies, people who had never been part of anything like this before. They came because they wanted to learn. They came because they wanted to stand with First Peoples. They came because they understood that truth matters. This year, the National Walk for Truth grows not just in one place, but everywhere, through coordinated walks across the continent that show a country stepping forward together.
Some people are unsure about national truth‑telling and that’s natural in a country that has avoided hard truths for so long. But truth‑telling isn’t about blame. It’s about honesty, evidence and understanding the systems we all live inside today. You don’t need to agree with every part of it to take a first step, you just need to be willing to listen. Listening is where truth‑telling begins and it’s how we build a fairer, safer, more honest country for everyone.
These walks are not about spectacle. They are about education, solidarity and commitment. They are about showing that truth‑telling is not the work of First Peoples alone. It is the work of a nation. And they are about breaking the pattern that has defined too much of our history, the belief that silence is neutral. Silence has never been neutral in this country. Silence has always protected the systems that harm First Peoples. Truth‑telling is how we break that pattern. It is how we build trust. It is how we build respect. It is how we build a future where First Peoples aren’t fighting the same battles generation after generation. And it is how non‑Indigenous Australians can finally understand the full story of the place we all call home.
At the centre of this national moment is a clear call to the Prime Minister that Australia must establish a national truth‑telling process. An open letter is gathering signatures from across the country, from community leaders, organisations, families and everyday Australians who believe that truth is the only honest path forward. Signing the letter is one of the most important actions people can take. It sends a message that cannot be ignored, the country is ready and the government must be too.
All information about how to walk, how to engage locally and how to sign the open letter is at www.walkfortruth.com
This is the moment to step forward. Walk with your community. Learn the truth of this country. Add your name to the open letter. Bring your workplace, your school, your family and friends. Stand with First Peoples in a moment that will shape the nation your children inherit.
Walking is a simple act, but in this context, it becomes something larger, a commitment, a promise, a declaration that we will not look away from the truth.
History will remember who showed up in this moment and who stayed silent. Australia is ready for honesty. Now we need people to show it.”-Travis Lovett
This book below would be an excellent start at Truth Telling in our High Schools here in Australia. If you have not read it, I highly recommend this book for EVERY AUSTRALIAN.
Get your shoes on and start walking and talking TRUTH.