NAIDOC Week is a time to learn about and celebrate the ongoing history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, according to the St Vincent de Paul Society’s national president, Mark Gaetani.
National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday).
“This year’s NAIDOC Week theme – ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy’ – honours the achievements of the past and the empowerment of young leaders and provides an opportunity to reflect on the generations of advocacy and activism,” Mr Gaetani said.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overrepresented in almost all support services provided by the society, reflecting the challenges they experience from historic and contemporary injustices.
“Government interventions have repeatedly failed because they have been developed without respectful and informative listening to First Nations People’s advice on how issues should be tackled in community,” Mr Gaetani said.
“We continue to advocate for improvements to the co-development and co-design of policy and funding of services and programs.
“Real change can only be achieved by empowering First Nations communities, groups and individuals to contribute to the important policy-making decisions that affect their lives.
“‘This is why a focus on the Next Generation is so important and is filled with promise. It will help to truly recognise and value the place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia’s history.”
Mr Gaetani said the society’s support for First Nations justice is informed by Catholic Social Teaching and by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council, the peak advisory body to Australia’s bishops.
Resources have been developed to mark Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander on Sunday, July 6.
