The British initially thought Victoria's rapid colonisation in the 1830s was illegal, and authorities were concerned by its violence

When people think about the colonisation of Australia, they might think about it starting in 1788. University of Tasmania history professor Henry Reynolds said it led to so much violence against Aboriginal people, the British government of the day was concerned things had gone "terribly wrong". Yoorrook says its truth-telling "is the act of telling Victoria's true history, by listening to the experiences of First Peoples". "Victoria, indeed, Australia is having difficulty coming to terms with the truth about the true history and settlement of this country," Wergaia/Wamba Wamba elder and commission chair Eleanor Bourke said. Professor Reynolds told Yoorrook the "squatting rush" in Victoria was an "extraordinary development" unlike anything else in the "history of European colonisation".