As Australia prepares to mark the 50th Anniversary of NAIDOC Week, Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation (LNAC) is calling on the Commonwealth, all State and Territory Governments, and National Cabinet to establish a National Public Holiday during NAIDOC Week, preferably on the Friday each year when communities across the country traditionally gather to march, celebrate and reflect.
On Saturday, the organisation noted this year's NAIDOC theme, "50 Years of Deadly," marks "five decades of celebrating the strength, resilience, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and presents a historic opportunity for Australia to take a meaningful step forward in national recognition, truth-telling and reconciliation".
Larrakia Nation's statement calling for a new public holiday noted NAIDOC Week is "far more than a celebration".
"Its origins trace back to the 1938 Day of Mourning, one of Australia's earliest and most significant civil rights movements, when Aboriginal leaders stood together to demand equality, justice and recognition. For fifty years, NAIDOC has carried that legacy forward as a powerful national platform for cultural celebration, advocacy and reconciliation.
"Yet despite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples representing the oldest continuing living cultures on earth, Australia has no permanent national public holiday dedicated to recognising First Nations peoples, histories and contributions."
'The oldest living culture on earth deserves a permanent place in Australia's national calendar'
Larrakia Nation chief executive Michael Rotumah said as Australia marks 50 years of NAIDOC Week, "the time has come to elevate this important national observance through meaningful structural recognition".
"A National NAIDOC Week Public Holiday would not simply be another day off, it would be a day of national reflection, participation, celebration and learning," he said.
"The story of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is not separate from Australia's story; it is central to it."
"Sixty-five thousand years deserves one day. The oldest living culture on earth deserves a permanent place in Australia's national calendar."
'Increasingly difficult to justify' the First Peoples of this country remaining 'absent from that national calendar'
Larrakia Nation noted Australia's public holidays honour "defining moments of remembrance, faith, nationhood and constitutional tradition", including ANZAC Day, Australia Day, Christmas, Easter and the King's Birthday; and said it is "increasingly difficult to justify why the First Peoples of this country remain absent from that national calendar".
"A National NAIDOC Week Public Holiday would create the time and space for more Australians to participate in marches, ceremonies and community events, while strengthening cultural understanding, supporting local economies and reinforcing national unity through shared recognition and respect," the statement said.
"Importantly, NAIDOC Week is already embraced well beyond Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Each year, thousands of people from Commonwealth, State and Territory agencies, local governments, schools, universities, corporate organisations, private businesses and not-for-profit organisations participate in NAIDOC events, sponsorships, workplace activities and community celebrations across the nation.
"This growing cross-sector support demonstrates that NAIDOC is not solely a First Nations observance, it has become a significant national event that brings Australians together. A public holiday would enable even greater participation by removing workplace and scheduling barriers that currently prevent many Australians from attending marches, ceremonies and cultural events."
As the representative organisation for the Traditional Owners of Darwin and surrounding areas, Larrakia Nation said it believes meaningful recognition "must extend beyond symbolic acknowledgement" and be "reflected in tangible national action".
A rallying call
Larrakia Nation is encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, community leaders, corporate partners, unions, local governments and the broader Australian public to support their call for a national NAIDOC public holiday and advocate for bipartisan commitment across all jurisdictions, noting that Australia "has both an opportunity and a responsibility to embed NAIDOC permanently within the national calendar as a defining moment of recognition, truth-telling and unity".
