x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

VAN Talks Podcast

Victorian Aboriginal News

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.

news news commentary

All Episodes

21:22

S04-E37: A new era of shared governance for Dja Dja...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/03/30

Send us Fan Mail Djaara and the City of Greater Bendigo move beyond transactional MOUs with Yilingga Marna, a groundbreaking agreement embedding self-determination and shared governance into local decision-making. VAN's Charles Pakana talks with DJAARA CEO Cassandra Lewis and Bendigo CEO Andrew Cooney.

en-au

19:33

S04-E36: Simple executive decision: The fix for...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/03/26

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 business productivity, and fosters national unity for all Australians. He speaks with VAN's Charles Pakana.

en-au

18:45

S04-E35: Unlocking the potential of the Indigenous...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/03/24

Send us Fan Mail There'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 ("Everlasting Flow" [Woi-wurrung]) Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership Executive Director, Paul Paton.

en-au

24:30

S04-E34: The rise of reform - tracking the shift...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/03/23

Send us Fan Mail With 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, Professor Andrew Gunstone and Professor Emma-Jay Gavin, Australia's first Aboriginal professor for truth-telling.

en-au

23:49

S04-E33: Self-determination in the Aboriginal legal...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/03/15

Send a text With 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 self-determination and true community control in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal service space across the country.

en-au

20:25

S04-E32: Federal advocacy at last for Aboriginal and...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/02/26

Send a text With 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 Commissioner under that legislation, Sue-Anne Hunter

en-au

21:02

S04-E31: Election 2026 - The future of Treaty in...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/02/20

Send a text Arguably 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 overseeing the process

en-au

24:13

S04-E30: Blak firefighters taking prominence across...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/02/17

Send a text With Fire Rescue Victoria recognising the need for a more culturally appropriate workspace and overall operational environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander firefighters, VAN's Charles Pakana meets up with two active FRV First Nations firefighters.

en-au

20:32

S04-E29: Supporting growth in the Victorian Blak...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/02/12

Send a text One of the fundamental cornerstones of First Nations self-determination is economic independence; and the Kinaway Chamber of Commerce in Victoria is fundamental to that. VAN's Charles Pakana catches up with Kinaway Chair, Palawa/Tommeginne man, Trent Brickle.

en-au

23:33

S04-E28: Advocating for a strong Victorian Blak music...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/02/10

Send a text With the music industry becoming increasingly competitive and difficult for young artists, VAN's Charles Pakana catches up with the General Manager of Songlines, a Blak-led organisation focused entirely on supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers in Victoria.

en-au

23:03

S04-E27: Blak media - Koori Mail editor Todd Condie

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/02/04

Send us a text As we continue to explore the importance of Blak media in Australia, VAN's Charles Pakana catches up for a yarn with the editor of Koori Mail, Todd Condie.

en-au

29:16

S04-E26: Elections 2026 - Setting the stage for the...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/02/01

Send us a text With the announcement made for the next elections to be held for the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria - 3.0 - we're looking at significant moves forward in the Victorian Treaty landscape. For a closer view, VAN's Charles Pakana, chats with Assembly co-Chair Ngarra Murray

en-au

23:43

S04-E25: Join the 2026 Walk for national truth-telling

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2026/01/22

Send us a text As ex-Yoorrook Commissioner Travis Lovett works on his next Walk for Truth - this time at a national level - he joins VAN's Charles Pakana to discuss the need for this, as well as how ordinary Australians can join in and support this initiative

en-au

27:03

S04-E24: The path to Treaty from the Minister's...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2025/12/17

Send us a text Just three days before her resignation from Cabinet comes into effect, the Minister for Treaty and First Nations, Natalie Hutchins MP, speaks with VAN's Charles Pakana about her experiences holding that portfolio during what can arguably be described as Australia's most positive decade in the First Nations space.

en-au

25:11

S04-E23: First Nations story-telling carries culture...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2025/12/15

Send us a text Increasingly - and fortunately - a new age of "digital" story-telling professionals are emerging to ensure stories are protected from the ravages of time. VAN catches up with one such story-teller, Yorta Yorta and Woi-wurrung man Mark Thomson.

en-au

20:18

S04-E22: Victorian Traditional Owners speak out on...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2025/12/09

Send us a text As the need and demand for critical minerals increases, we catch up with the CEO of the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owners Cooperation, Kaley Nicholson, about the state government dragging its heels on reaching agreements with Traditional Owners across the state.

en-au

25:30

S04-E21: The realities and implications of...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2025/12/03

Send us a text In an apparent age of misinformation and disinformation, particularly evident during the 2023 Referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament, VAN's Charles Pakana catches up with NITV's John Paul (JP) Janke, to discuss the realities and implications of this moving forward, with a focus also on its potential impact of the Victorian Treaty Process.

en-au

21:24

S04-E20: Honest allyship with reconciliation groups...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2025/12/01

Send us a text Regarded by many as a fairly "redneck" area, Shepparton is home to one of the longest-serving and effective local reconciliation efforts - the Shepparton Region Reconciliation Group. VAN's Charles Pakana travels to the area and meets up for a yarn with one of the group's co-conveners, Dierdre Robertson.

en-au

25:20

S04-E19: Local Treaties in Victoria - what you should...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2025/11/24

Send us a text Treaty Authority member, Biripi woman Duean White talks with Victorian Aboriginal News about local Treaties, and what local governments and organisations can do to better understand and prepare for them

en-au

32:34

S04-E18: Blackfire hits the ground running with new...

VAN Talks Podcast ·

2025/11/19

Send us a text Featuring three great tracks from the band's latest album, Solar Eclipse, this interview has VAN's Charles Pakana yarning with Blackfire co-founder, rhythm guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Grant Hanson about the album and the history of this iconic Naarm-based Aboriginal rock band.

en-au

157 results

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

PBS News Hour - Full Show

PBS News

CD Voice

China Daily

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

Noa Levi

Jeffrey Epstein: The Coverup Chronicles

Bobby Capucci