VAN Talks Podcast

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The yearning to learn how to play the yidaki came to Ganga Giri in a dream when you was a young fella. Now, 35 years later, he's learnt how to play from the traditional custodians of the instrument and taken the beauty of its "grounding" music around the world. He joins up to discuss this with VAN's Charles Pakana.

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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 discussions about this critical document with the CEO of the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owners Corporation, Kaley Nicholson

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Joining Charles Pakana on the podcast is Gunditjmara man Uncle Mark Rose, the inaugural First Nations Commissioner of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission. For decades, he has challenged Australian academia to recognise Indigenous knowledge systems as a foundational intellectual architecture that must sit at the very centre of our national education research. 

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VAN Talks welcomes reconciliation activist Ruth Yeatman, who talks about championing reconciliation in one of Victoria's highs recorded "No" vote regions.

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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 Country. (A full transcript is available on the VAN website - www.vicaboriginalnews.com.au)

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Filmmaker Rachel Perkins unpacks Australia’s brutal frontier wars, revealing how a foundational conflict over land and resources shaped the nation. She discusses historical archives, government complicity, and the path toward national truth-telling.

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Cultural educator Thane Garvey explores the complexities of shared Australian culture, addressing non-Indigenous fears, the importance of respectful engagement, and the vital role of education in preserving First Nations heritage.

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Traditional Owners in Victoria are reawakening ancient cultural burning practices to restore landscape health, protect biodiversity, and mitigate wildfire risks through community-led land management and self-determination.

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Holmesglen Institute and Trust for Nature offer a First Nations-led Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management, empowering mob to care for Country, restore native biodiversity, and lead environmental self-determination.

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New research shows over two million people lived across Australia pre-invasion, shattering colonial myths and underscoring the urgent need for genuine truth-telling and historical accountability.