On 29 May 2026, the Forum for Truth and Recognition delivered its final report to the Victorian Premier. It is a document unlike most government reports. And that was always the intention.
The Forum for Truth and Recognition was a statewide truth-telling process established by the Victorian Government for survivors of child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools and certain non-government schools before 2000. It ran from August 2025 to May 2026 and was chaired by Ms Angela Connors.
Its purpose was not to make findings against individuals or to assign blame. It was to listen, and to ensure that what was shared was heard, recorded, and preserved as an enduring public record.
Most government reports are text-driven documents structured around findings, figures, and formal language. This report was built differently, and intentionally so.
Under the leadership of Angela Connors, the Forum’s guiding mission was to put victim-survivors at the centre. To give them back their voice. To ensure that the people who came forward and shared some of the most difficult experiences of their lives were not reduced to data points or case references but recognised as the human beings at the heart of this process.
The report uses a variety of storytelling elements including personal accounts, specific quotes, and considered design to bring the experiences of victim-survivors to life. It is a public record that asks the community and government to bear witness to the harm experienced in Victorian schools, and to carry that understanding forward.
We were honoured to work alongside the Forum to help bring this report to life. Our role was in the translation, by taking the accounts shared by victim-survivors and shaping them into a document that could endure as a public record while remaining true to the voices it represents. The design, the structure, and the storytelling elements were all developed in service of one goal – to ensure that the people who came forward were seen, heard, and represented with the dignity they deserve.
The Victorian Government released the report in July 2026. It can be explored through the final report, an interactive version of the report, an animated summary video and an easy read guide.
