NAIDOC Week 8–15 November 2020: Always Was, Always Will Be

The National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week will be marked across the country from November 8 to November 15, celebrating the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

The theme for NAIDOC Week 2020 is Always Was, Always Will Be which recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.

During this week, we acknowledge the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their significant contribution to the wider community. In particular, we acknowledge the work of NCIRS National Indigenous Immunisation Coordinator Katrina Clark. A proud Barkindji Woman, Katrina is passionate about ensuring equity of access to vaccination for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Katrina’s role with NCIRS involves working with the National Indigenous Immunisation Network to promote communication between the National Immunisation Committee and those involved in providing immunisation services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We also acknowledge the newly formed NCIRS Cultural Governance Group, which provides advice to NCIRS and relevant stakeholders on how best to improve the uptake and timeliness of immunisation among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 

NAIDOC Week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in a COVID Safe way. You can find out more about how to be involved and a range of virtual events on the NAIDOC website.

Associated reading:
Learn more about the work of Katrina and the team at NCIRS here.
Read this perspective in the MJA –‘First Nations peoples leading the way in COVID‐19 pandemic planning, response and management’ here.
Listen to Katrina discuss Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander immunisation with Rachael McGuire from the Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre here.
Read the latest NACCHO Aboriginal health news alerts here.
Download National NAIDOC logo and other social media resources here.