VAN Talks Podcast
by Victorian Aboriginal News
Latest episode
S06-E03: Kaley Nicholson, CEO of FVTOC, kicks off our conversations…
S06-E03: Kaley Nicholson, CEO of FVTOC, kicks off our conversations…
About this podcast
Heading back to our roots and building on the work we undertook in the leadup to the 2023 Referendum, Victorian Aboriginal News (VAN) Talks focuses on the positivity that is Aboriginal Victoria. Covering everything from Voice, Treaty and Truth and Reconciliation through to Aboriginal businesses and Traditional Owner initiatives, the VAN Talks podcast is the only podcast that travels across the State to deliver interviews and stories that are the truth of Aboriginal Victoria.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 203 episodes
- S06-E03: Kaley Nicholson, CEO of FVTOC, kicks off our conversations about UNDRIP · 18 min · Season 6 Episode 3Send us Fan Mail The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is greatly misunderstood - if even heard of - within society. We kick off a series of…
- S06-E02: Bringing First Nations knowledge systems into a Euro-centric tertiary educational system · 20 min · Season 6 Episode 2Send us Fan Mail Joining Charles Pakana on the podcast is Gunditjmara man Uncle Mark Rose, the inaugural First Nations Commissioner of the Australian Tertiary Education…
- S06-E01: Reconciliation in Seymour - one of Victoria's highest recorded "No" vote regions · 19 min · Season 6 Episode 1Send us Fan Mail VAN Talks welcomes reconciliation activist Ruth Yeatman, who talks about championing reconciliation in one of Victoria's highs recorded "No" vote regions.
- S05-E40: Understanding the Acknowledgement of Country · 18 min · Season 5 Episode 40Send us Fan Mail VAN's Charles Pakana catches up with Wurundjeri Elder and lore man Uncle Bill Nicholson to discuss the use - and often ofter use - of the Acknowledgement of…
- S05-E39: The Frontier Wars need to be recognised for the brutality that underpins Australian history · 21 min · Season 5 Episode 39Send us Fan Mail Filmmaker Rachel Perkins unpacks Australia’s brutal frontier wars, revealing how a foundational conflict over land and resources shaped the nation. She discusses…
- S05-E38: Start exploring First Nations' cultures and put aside the fear of offending · 20 min · Season 5 Episode 38Send us Fan Mail Cultural educator Thane Garvey explores the complexities of shared Australian culture, addressing non-Indigenous fears, the importance of respectful engagement…
- S05-E37: The revival of cultural burning practices to remediate Country and help mitigate disasters · 23 min · Season 5 Episode 37Send us Fan Mail Traditional Owners in Victoria are reawakening ancient cultural burning practices to restore landscape health, protect biodiversity, and mitigate wildfire risks…
- S05-E36: Implementing First Nations knowledge to heal country · 18 min · Season 5 Episode 36Send us Fan Mail Holmesglen Institute and Trust for Nature offer a First Nations-led Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management, empowering mob to care for Country…
- S05-E35: It's time for Australia to acknowledge historic atrocities · 21 min · Season 5 Episode 35Send us Fan Mail New research shows over two million people lived across Australia pre-invasion, shattering colonial myths and underscoring the urgent need for genuine…
- S05-E34: First Nations star knowledge predates Western astrophysics by millennia · 23 minSend us Fan Mail Astrophysicist Professor Duane Hamacher explores First Nations development and use of astronomy, revealing tens of thousands of years of sophisticated science…
- S05-E33: Reclaiming cultural heritage through proper consent frameworks · 22 min · Season 5 Episode 33Send us Fan Mail Existing Australian intellectual property laws fail to safeguard Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property. Dr Terri Janke outlines why true consultation…
- S05-E32 - Media leader urges all Australians to engage with Blak media · 18 min · Season 5 Episode 32Send us Fan Mail National Indigenous Times COO Alexander Wolf discusses expanding into Victoria, combatting online misinformation, protecting First Nations journalists, and why…
- S05-E31: First Nations creatives given safe spaces through Blak and Bright · 20 min · Season 5 Episode 31Send us Fan Mail Skye Cusack discusses how Blak and Bright supports First Nations storytellers year-round through publishing partnerships, digital commissions, education…
- S05-E30: Ipsos Indigenous Issues 2026 report reveals shift in public focus · 20 min · Season 5 Episode 30Send us Fan Mail New data shows that while mainstream interest in First Nations issues has dropped, majority support for Treaty and truth-telling remains firm, led strongly by…
- S05-E29: Long term economic independence at the heart of Victoria Treaty process · 21 min · Season 5 Episode 29Send us Fan Mail Self Determination Fund co-chair Leanne Miller explains how building capital and supporting Traditional Owner unity is driving long-term economic independence…
- S05-E28: Marcia Langton talks about truth-telling, culture in education...and racism · 31 min · Season 5 Episode 28Send us Fan Mail Laureate Professor Marcia Langton AO discusses navigating everyday racism, moving beyond deficit models, and embedding 65,000 years of Indigenous scientific…
- S05-E27: Standing up for Mob through reporting racism and demanding real accountability · 14 min · Season 5 Episode 27Send us Fan Mail Cathy Austin from the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission talks about a new podcast series created in partnership with VALS, providing…
- S05-E26: Building self-determination on air through independent Aboriginal media · 19 min · Season 5 Episode 26Send us Fan Mail 3KND General Manager Grant Hansen has a yarn with us about spending 25 years building independent Aboriginal radio in Melbourne, amplifying community voices…
- S05-E25: New study highlights connection between harmful misinformation and online hate targeting Mob · 21 min · Season 5 Episode 25Send us Fan Mail Groundbreaking research reveals a tenfold rise in online hate targeting First Nations people. Discover how digital algorithms fuel racism against Mob and what…
- S05:E24 - Reconciliation Action Plans at a crossroads: Jason Mifsud on the future of RAPs · 21 min · Season 5 Episode 24Send us Fan Mail Are Reconciliation Action Plans still delivering for Mob? Eastern Maar leader Jason Mifsud explores why organisations must shift from symbolic gestures to…
