VAN Talks Podcast
Victorian Aboriginal News
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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.
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Recent Episodes
S5E10 S05-E10: Behind the face of VAN with Charles Pakana in the interviewee seat!
Send us Fan MailIn this special episode on VAN Talks, a podcast normally hosted by Uncle Charles Pakana, Karina Wells, Uncle Charles's daughter, takes to the mic to interview the face of VAN. Uncle…
S5E9 S05-E09: Native Title in the Victorian context with Kaley Nicholson
Send us Fan MailVAN's Charles Pakana sits down the Taungurung woman Kaley Nicholson, CEO of the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owners Corporation, to discuss Native Title in the Victorian context
S5E8 S05-E08: NITV General Manager speaks to the future of First Nations media
Send us Fan MailNITV General Manager, Dan Bourchier, discusses his vision for the future of NITV and advises both journalists and consumers of media on how to maintain a truth-focused perspective.
S5E7 S05-E07: A new First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria with a new set of challenges for a new era
Send us Fan MailMeriki Onus and Djaran Murray-Jackson have recently been elected as Co-Chairs of Gellung Warl, the First People's Assembly of Victoria. In this episode of VAN Talks, Meriki and Djaran…
S5E6 S05-E06: Kinship care vs. western foster care system: How to embed culture in children's lives
Send us Fan MailIn this episode of VAN Talks, Sheree Lowe explains the difference between a kinship carer and a traditional foster carer in the Western system. She also gives some great examples of…
S5E5 S05-E05: Can multicultural Australia lead the way in First Nations reconciliation?: the connection between new arrivals and 65,000 years of First Nations history
Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Uncle Charles yarns with former Victorian Multicultural Commissioner, Shankar Karsynathan.
S05-E04: Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung join list of TOs ready for Treaty
Send us Fan MailUncle Andrew Gardiner and Dale Wandin from Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung speak to VAN about the Traditional Owner group's entry onto the Treaty Authority's register.
S5E3 S05-E03: Removal of the whitewash over Australia's military history
Send us Fan MailWe catch up with historian Peter Bakker and explore the truth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in military service. Listen in to this discussion on how the Australian…
S5E2 S05-E02: Taungurung signifies intent to commence local Treaty negotiations
Send us Fan MailCharles Pakana yarns with Taungurang CEO, Matt Burns, to discuss the historic steps being taken by the Taungurung people toward Treaty negotiations with the state government. Matt…
S5E1 S05-E01: Travis Lovett on the National Walk for Truth
Send us Fan MailCharles Pakana has a yarn with Travis Lovett, a Kerrupmara Gunditjmara man and former Yoorrook Justice Commissioner, 18 hours before he leaves to leads the 2026 National Walk for…
S4E40 S04-E40: Ensuring the legacy of the Yoorrook evidence and submissions
Send us Fan MailIn this episode VAN's Charles Pakana sits with Professor Peter Radoll, the man responsible for ensuring that all the evidence and submissions received by the Yoorrook Justice…
S4E39 S04-E39: Treaty in Ink: Understanding the Victorian Treaty Scroll
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S4E38 S04-E38: The $1 Billion benefit: Why investing in Traditional Owners pays off
Send us Fan MailWith the passage of the Treaty Act of 2025, many believe the work is finished—but for Victoria’s Traditional Owners, the journey is just beginning. In this episode, host Charles…
S4E37 S04-E37: A new era of shared governance for Dja Dja Wurrung and Bendigo
Send us Fan MailDjaara and the City of Greater Bendigo move beyond transactional MOUs with Yilingga Marna, a groundbreaking agreement embedding self-determination and shared governance into local…
S4E36 S04-E36: Simple executive decision: The fix for Australia Day
Send us Fan MailJames Woods from the Australian Long Weekend Initiative proposes moving Australia Day to the second-last Monday in January. This shift promises a long weekend every year, boosts…
S4E35 S04-E35: Unlocking the potential of the Indigenous business sector with Paul Paton
Send us Fan MailThere's no doubt that a strong Australian First Nations business sector results in a strengthening of the Australian economy. To discuss this, VAN catches up with Dilin Duwa…
S04-E34: The rise of reform - tracking the shift toward Treaty and Truth
Send us Fan MailWith new survey figures demonstrating a clear shift towards support for Treaty, Truth and reconciliation across Victoria, VAN catches up with the survey's commissioning academics,…
S4E33 S04-E33: Self-determination in the Aboriginal legal service space
Send us Fan MailWith the recent publication of his book Defending the Defenceless, Eddie Cubillo joins VAN's Charles Pakana to discuss the critical importance - and all too often, lack - of…
S4E32 S04-E32: Federal advocacy at last for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people
Send us Fan MailWith legislation before Parliament to cement the powers of the Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, we catch up with country's first…
S4E31 S04-E31: Election 2026 - The future of Treaty in Victoria
Send us Fan MailArguably one of the most important Assembly elections, the 2026 election for "Assembly 3.0" kicks off on the 21st of March. We catch up with the people responsible for running and…
Frequently Asked Questions
VAN Talks Podcast has published 170 episodes since January 2023, covering topics in Government, News.
VAN Talks Podcast is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 20m.
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