The NAIDOC National Forum to be held in Boorloo/Perth on Whadjuk Noongar Country on July 4 will feature a team of notable speakers, Indigenous leaders from a range of fields.

Among them is Dr Jim Morrison, chair of Yokai – the WA Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation.

Dr Morrison, a Minang-Goreng Noongar man, has long been active in the community, working for the rights of the Stolen Generations and their families; in Aboriginal child protection; and on addressing the mental health, justice and suicide issues in the community.

He has won the John Curtin Medal for services to the community and partnered in winning seven awards in the virtual and Elder Survivor story augmented conservation of Aboriginal Missions in WA, and was involved in the production of the documentary, Genocide in the Wildflower State.

Dr Morrison told National Indigenous Times the importance of NAIDOC's national forums is "it's where we determine our own voices, and that we can collaborate, determine best practice".

"Otherwise how are we supposed to know what our brothers and sisters are doing around the country?" he asked.

"Looking at role models within our communities that are doing good things, and with that – it becomes more common knowledge, we circulate it and ensure our own media is capturing what the messages are.

"If there are national forums – and there have been many, one last week in Adelaide, one in Darwin as we speak – they are always well attended, it is about supporting the good practice, supporting each other."

Dr Morrison said that a key message at any forum would be the importance of the legacy of Indigenous leaders of the past.

"Regardless of what the specific forum might be, we stand on the shoulders of giants. A lot of people have made our life possible, whether they be Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal, but standing on the shoulders of our own mob, our own people, they are the people who give you the empowerment, the encouragement, to move forward and build on their vision," he said.

"One of the people I always think of is the late Rob Riley… If we don't have these warriors that we can respect and honour, they are the people who laid the groundwork for us, like Lowitja (O'Donoghue) herself, Charlie Perkins… the list would go on and on, our inspiring role models of the past. I would like to capture that.

"My role models are my parents, both were Stolen, mum is still alive she is 98, and the late Rob Riley. I draw strength from their strength."

Dr Morrison said practical measures are important but need to be accompanied by honest conversations.

"I also want to ensure that the state's (WA) announcement recently around the (Stolen Generations) redress… that truth, justice and healing is a message that comes out of that announcement," he said.

Dr Morrison stressed the point of the redress package would be undermined "if broader Australia doesn't know or doesn't care what it's all about".

"It's the same with the Apology in 2008, there wasn't any public awareness around it. We know the removal of children, genocide, the massacres is not part of the school curriculum. There needs to be some sort of campaign that the government should be instrumental in to talk about the truth," he said.

"Wadjemup is now getting the hearing it should do, after a long time, the unmarked graces at Wadjemup.

"In 1877, six of my old people were dug up from their graves and taken to Germany. It was only in 2019 that the repatriation started and they were buried on Minang Country in Albany a couple of months ago. There are thousands of remains across the world. That isn't an isolated case. How many people would know about that? How many people would want to say 'that's disgusting, why did that happen?'. It's not part of the school curriculum, not part of learning and development.

"We have been lucky with our documentary that have grabbed it now for Year 11 and 12, intercultural studies, but it's not compulsory. So, I would be focussing on truth and justice and healing."

National Indigenous Times is an official media partner of Perth's National NAIDOC Forum, tickets can be purchased on Humantix.