This year’s NAIDOC week focus is ‘For our Elders’. It’s an acknowledgment of what Elders past and present have endured throughout generations. It’s also a celebration of what Elders have and continue to achieve through all walks of life.
What is NAIDOC week?
Today, NAIDOC is celebrated not only within Indigenous communities but also by Australians from all walks of life.
Before the 1920s, numerous Aboriginal rights groups opted to boycott Australia Day as a means of protesting the mistreatment of Indigenous Australians. However, these boycotts faced challenges in gaining momentum. As a result, organisations like the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association (AAPA) and the Australian Aborigines League (AAL) joined forces to consolidate their efforts as a unified entity. Unfortunately, they encountered difficulties in making a substantial impact and eventually disbanded.
In 1935, William Cooper, the founder of AAL, sent a petition to King George V, urging the establishment of Aboriginal electorates in the parliament. Regrettably, the Australian Government rejected the petition. Nevertheless, on Australia Day in 1938, thousands of individuals participated in a protest march through Sydney. This historic event marked one of the earliest significant civil rights gatherings worldwide and became known as the Day of Mourning. It soon evolved into an annual celebration of Aboriginal culture, subsequently renamed Aborigines Day.
Numerous Aboriginal organisations, state and federal governments, as well as select church groups, rallied behind the formation of the National Aborigines Day Observance Committee (NADOC). In 1975, the celebration was expanded to encompass an entire week. Then, in 1991, NADOC underwent further expansion to include the recognition of Torres Strait Islander people and culture, resulting in its renaming as the National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC). This new name also extended to the week-long commemoration.
Each year, a theme is carefully chosen to reflect the important issues and events for NAIDOC week. Click here to find if there are NAIDOC events near you.
For our Elders
During Anthony Albanese’s victory speech as Australia’s Prime Minister-elect, he began by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land where he stood. Among his first statements, he made a firm commitment on behalf of the Labor party to fully support the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
This crucial commitment to the Uluru Statement and the subsequent Voice to Parliament Referendum will determine whether a First Nations voice should be officially incorporated into the country’s constitution. Additionally, it involves the establishment of a Makarrata commission, responsible for overseeing a process of agreement-making and truth-telling. If the referendum successfully passes, it will establish a permanent avenue for First Nations representation, enabling them to advocate for their communities to both the parliament and the government.
As part of their agenda, the Labor party has pledged to hold the Voice to Parliament Referendum on this matter within their first term of government, with the anticipated timing being around late 2023.
As history has made clear, it’s not often that changes are made to Australia’s constitution, but the NAIDOC committee and other Indigenous representatives and activists are confident that a ‘yes’ vote will strengthen Indigenous voices, empowerment and participation.
In a statement, the NAIDOC committee said of the referendum: “Through our Elders’ teachings we must ensure that when it comes to future decision-making for our people, there is nothing about us, without us.”
Making a more inclusive workplace for Indigenous Australians
A survey of 1,033 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers across Australia, conducted by the Jumbunna Institute of Indigenous Education and Research and Diversity Council Australia, found that:
- About four in every five respondents (78%) said they felt sharing their Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background at work was important.
- More than a quarter said they didn’t feel their perspectives and experiences were valued, and they didn’t feel comfortable talking about their culture.
- Almost two-thirds said they experienced what we have termed high “identity strain” (the strain employees feel when they themselves, or others, view their identity as not meeting the norms or expectations of the dominant culture in the workplace).
- Well over a third (39%) said they felt a “high cultural load”.
- 38% said they felt they had been treated unfairly because of their Indigenous background.
- 59% have heard comments about how they looked or “should look” as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person.
- 44% said they had been subject to racial slurs.
This report highlighted the importance of organisations to implement strategies of inclusion for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. This can be achieved by:
- Building and maintaining relationships with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
- Being active and participating in First Nations events such as NAIDOC Week, National Reconciliation Week, Mabo Day, National Sorry Day, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day and many more local events.
- Investing in First Nations people by providing meaningful employment, training, and career opportunities.
- Creating a workplace that promotes First Nations language, culture, and spiritual connections to land and their environment.
- Acknowledging, at every opportunity, the First Nations’ people as the traditional owners of the land in which a meeting is held.
- Asking for, and responding to, feedback about what Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander staff have to say about what it’s like to work within the company.
- Ensuring any Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander-related work is led and informed by Indigenous people.
- Understanding and recognising identity strain and educating non-Indigenous staff about how to interact with their Indigenous colleagues in ways that reduce this.
- Consulting with Indigenous staff on how to minimise cultural load while increasing cultural safety. This will require honest discussion and probably the commitment of resources.
- Combatting workplace racism by making complaint mechanisms clear, training managers to recognise and address racism, and never brushing racial incidents under the carpet.
- Looking to high-impact initiatives that evidence-based research shows increases Indigenous employees’ well-being and retention.
Our specialist helpline
At Converge, we understand that people face many challenges, in and out of the workplace, that requires specialised support. If your organisation is in partnership with Converge, you may have access to specialist support (available during business hours) in addition to your existing Employee Assistance Program services. You may even have access to our specialist First Nations Helpline — check with your employer.
Our experienced consultants are either Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders themselves or have undertaken specialist training in cultural awareness. We provide a safe space for you to talk to someone who can empathise with your issues and provide support. Our services have been developed by First Nations consultants to provide culturally safe, secure, culturally responsible and deliver professional support.
