In February 2013, the conference “New Perspectives on the 1965 Violence in Indonesia” brought together community-based researchers and representatives from human rights and advocacy organisations across several regions of Indonesia to discuss new historical understandings about the tragedy of 1965 and its impact on Indonesian society. Together with a number of Australia- and Indonesia-based researchers, these community-based researchers and NGO advocates discussed a wide range of themes, including the role of the state in the violence, the patterns of violence, the impacts of the violence on women, children and communities, and the legacies of this mass social violence in particular regions of Indonesia. These discussions were animated and broad-ranging, with each of the participants bringing unique views and experiences, particularly those from the grass-roots and national NGOs represented.