NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week 2020

Always Was, Always Will Be

NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’, the committee responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week. Its acronym has now become the name of the week.

NAIDOC Week has a long history beginning with the human rights movement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the 1920s. From 1940 until 1955, the Day of Mourning was held annually on the Sunday before Australia Day and was known as Aborigines Day.

In 1955 Aborigines Day was shifted to the first Sunday in July after it was decided the day should become not simply a protest day but also a celebration of Aboriginal culture. Later the second Sunday in July became a day of remembrance for Aboriginal people and their heritage which resulted in NAIDOC week. A timeline of the history of the struggle for Aboriginal rights and recognition can be downloaded from the NAIDOC site.

NAIDOC is not just a celebration for Indigenous communities but for all Australians. The week is an opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Each year, a theme is chosen for the week to reflect the important issues and events for NAIDOC.