History of the Balibo House Trust

Now steeped in the consciousness of all Australians, Balibó House was the last refuge of the five Australian-based journalists, Greg Shackleton, Gary Cunningham, Tony Stewart, Malcolm Rennie and Brian Peters who were murdered by Indonesian troops in 1975. Fellow newsman Roger East was murdered seven weeks later as he investigated the deaths of his five colleagues.

Balibó House Trust was established by the Victorian Government in October 2002 to purchase and refurbish the Balibó House so it could be handed back to the people of the district for use as a community learning centre.

The Balibó Community Learning Centre was officially opened by the former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks, current Prime Minister of Timor-Leste Xanana Gusmão, and the former Prime Minister and President of Timor-Leste José Ramos-Horta on 31st October 2003. This ceremony took place in the presence of family members of the Balibó Five, international dignitaries and 1,500 people from the Balibó community and surrounding villages.