• Inquiry finds that European settlers committed genocide against Indigenous Australians.
• Report calls for government compensation and restitution of traditional lands.
• Indigenous communities face severe systemic disadvantages fifty years post-colonization.
• Victoria's premier commits to assessing the inquiry's 100 recommendations.
• Recent referendum to recognize Indigenous Australians was rejected by the public.

A recent truth-telling inquiry in Victoria has concluded that European settlers committed genocide against Australia's Indigenous people, highlighting a series of atrocities including massacres, cultural suppression, and child removals. The four-year royal commission's report characterizes the actions as leading to the "near-complete destruction" of Indigenous populations in the region, explicitly stating, "This was genocide," according to Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, India Times, and Dawn.

The Yoorrook Justice Commission's findings include over 100 recommendations aimed at redress for the significant damage inflicted, advocating for monetary compensation and the return of traditional lands, waters, and resources. This includes addressing systemic issues affecting the current Indigenous population, which has been profoundly impacted by the historical injustices detailed in the report, as stated in Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, and Dawn.

Victoria's Premier, Jacinta Allan, has expressed gratitude to the commission for its findings and indicated that her government would carefully assess the recommendations. In her statement, she emphasized that the inquiry's conclusions could "shine a light on hard truths and lay the foundations for a better future for all Victorians," according to South China Morning Post and Dawn.

This inquiry also follows the public's rejection of a referendum aimed at providing greater constitutional recognition to Indigenous Australians, marking a critical moment in the ongoing discussions about reparations and recognition of historical injustices faced by these communities, as reported by Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, India Times, and Dawn.