The path to truth-telling in Australia is thorny and long. But there is some ground for hope

‘We need only listen to the voices of Indigenous people recorded in the Uluru Dialogues to understand the importance of truth-telling for First Nations people.’ Photograph: Roni Bintang/Getty Images

Only months out from a federal election, the challenge of truth-telling in Australia seems as daunting as ever. There is undeniable evidence that the nation has turned away from the three core principles of the Uluru statement from the heart: voice, treaty, truth.

Since the defeat of the voice referendum, the government has made it clear that it is walking back from the prime minister’s commitment to implement the Uluru statement “in full”, which he made explicit in his election victory speech. Labor has also withdrawn the $20m previously allocated in the federal budget for a Makarrata commission that would have overseen treaty making and a national truth-telling commission.