VAN Talks Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Following the October 2023 referendum, many have claimed that anti-Aboriginal sentiments have become increasingly prevalent. International reconciliation academic Professor Andrew Gunstone experienced this first-hand when he was boo’d off stage during a presentation at a Lions club on the 26th of January. He speaks about the experience with Charles Pakana, as well as discussing th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we talk about cultural safety and cultural load int he workplace - issues that are often bandied around in the Australian workforce yet all too often left unaddressed. We also welcome back to the podcast the Reverend Uncle Glenn Loughrey, reflecting on the referendum and challenging us with a new way forward.

Send us Fan Mail Our first podcast for the year kicks off with Natalie Hutchins MP, Minister for Treaty and First Nations, talking about the government's treaty preparation; and Uncle Rodney Carter, one of the two co-Chairs of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria's Elders Voice.

Send us Fan Mail Recorded at the State Library of Victoria, and celebrating the return of two culturally important artworks by William Barak, this episode has Charles speaking with Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Ron Jones, Victorian Minister and Assistant Treasurer Danny Pearson and Wurundjeri educator, language worker and artist Brooke Wandin.

Send us Fan Mail Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Gathering Places play a huge role for community across Victoria, and at VAN Talks our goal is to visit and report from all of them over the next 12-to-18 months. In today's podcast, we travel down to Hastings on Bunerong Country to visit the Willum Warrain (Home by the sea) and speak to some of the incredible staff that have made this gat...

Send us Fan Mail In 2021, the Victorian Government launched the 2021-2026 Victorian Aboriginal and Local Government Strategy. We interviewed one of its key architects, Peek Whurrong man Jason Mifsud, shortly after the launch. Now, two years down the track, we once again sit with Jason and get down to some of the real nitty gritty of this innovative strategy that has been designed by Aboriginal Peo...

Send us Fan Mail Yoorrook Commissioner Kerrupmara/Gunditjmara man Travis Lovett sits with VAN's Charles Pakana to discuss his experiences as the most recently appointed Yoorrook Commissioner and the work being undertaken in the latest round of investigations - into land, sky and waters.

Send us Fan Mail For well over 20 years, Uncle Alan Thorpe has been single-mindedly focused on supporting Aboriginal men across Australia and working to help those men take an active role in building stronger families and safer communities.  As the CEO of Dardi Munwurro, Strong Spirit in Gunai language, he continues that work with a growing number of staff and supporters.  In July this year, at th...

Send us Fan Mail With the second iteration of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria firmly in place, we take a deep dive with Assembly co-chairs Ngarra Murray and Rueben Berg in where Victoria is currently positioned with regard to a statewide Treay. This episode marks the commencement of an ongoing series of interviews and updates from and about the Assembly’s work.

Send us Fan Mail As we kick off series 2 of our podcast, a logical flow-on from the Referendum 23 Tapes podcast, we initiate a series of discussions about Reconciliation in Victoria, starting with internationally renowned Reconciliation expert, Professor Andrew Gunstone.

Send us Fan Mail Co-Chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Gunditjmara man Rueben Berg, reflects on the divisive nature of the Voice referendum campaign and the need to heal community post referendum.

Send us Fan Mail CEO of the Lowitja Institute, Janine Mohamed, reveals on the podcast how a Voice to Parliament has the potential to save the Federal Government $10 billion per year in healthcare alone.

Send us Fan Mail SBS/NITV The Point co-host John Paul (JP) Janke joins Charles on the Referendum 2023 Tapes podcast to talk about a range of topics from “fear over fact” to the role of First Nations media in repairing the rift resulting from the various campaign factions.

Send us Fan Mail With decades of public service and experience with government and bureaucracy under his belt, Yorta Yorta Elder Uncle Andrew Jackomos joins Charles to discuss the Voice to Parliament from a unique perspective.

Send us Fan Mail Taungurung man and CEO of the Taungurung Land and Waters Council (TLaWC) Matthew Burns joins Charles on the podcast to share his thoughts on the positive impacts on all Australians - Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal - of a First Nations Voice to Parliament.

Send us Fan Mail Based on his many years of work in government, community and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), Gunditjmara man Jason Mifsud is approaching the vote for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament with a “cautious Yes”.

Send us Fan Mail Yorta Yorta man Ian Hamm speaks frankly to Charles in this episode, and delivers a frank, honest and totally refreshing perspective on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

Send us Fan Mail We’re joined today by Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder Uncle Andrew Gardiner. In this interview, Uncle Andrew touches on a broad range of subjects ranging from some of the misinformation surrounding the proposed Voice to Parliament through to Australia’s standing on the international stage. Note: In this interview, Uncle Andrew is NOT speaking on behalf of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung P...

Send us Fan Mail In our latest Referendum 2023 Tapes podcast, Charles speaks with one of Australia’s foremost activists and advocates for Aboriginal and Islander child care, Aunty Muriel Bamblett. In this far-ranging interview, the two discuss an array of social topics, each impacted by a possible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

Send us Fan Mail In Victoria’s central west, the Dja Dja Wurrung People via their representative corporation, DJAARA, have come out in clear support of a Yes vote for a Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution. Charles travels to Bendigo and yarns about this with DJAARA CEO, Uncle Rodney Carter.

Send us Fan Mail Charles is joined in this podcast by the CEO of the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations. Together, they discuss a broad range of topics relating to the Voice and the forthcoming referendum.

Send us Fan Mail In a very special episode of the Referendum 2023 Tapes podcast, Charles is joined by two students, Sienna and Katelyn, from Our Lady of Mercy College Heidelberg. Both first-time voters, Sienna and Katelyn share their thoughts on a range of topics, including: truth in political advertising/campaigning, media-driven misinformation, their hopes for a Voice to Parliament, and a desire...

Send us Fan Mail CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), Aunty Jill Gallagher AO, speaks frankly to Charles about the very real and positive health outcomes she believes will emerge for Aboriginal People as a result of a successful Yes vote for the Voice to Parliament.

Send us Fan Mail We first yarned with the Anglican Church’s Reverend Canon Glenn Loughrey in March this year. Now, after a hard five months on the road yarning up the referendum and Voice, we speak with him to gain an insight into the harsh realities of conversations on the ground.

Send us Fan Mail In this short but succinct episode, we clearly disprove the claim by Sky News commentator Peta Credlin’s claim that the Uluru Statement is 26 pages. It isn’t!!!