A Celebration of the Oldest Living Culture on the Planet
26th May to 13th July 2025
National Sorry Day is an Australia-wide observance held on 26 May each year. This day gives people the chance to come together and take steps towards healing for the Stolen Generations, their families and communities. Stolen Generations refers to children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities.
Bridging Now to Next urges us to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.
At a time when Australia faces uncertainty in its reconciliation journey, this theme calls on all Australians to step forward together.
In the #NRW2025 theme artwork created by Kalkadoon woman Bree Buttenshaw, native plants − known for regenerating after fire and thriving through adversity − symbolise our collective strength and the possibilities of renewal. This is a time for growth, reflection, and commitment to walking together.
National Reconciliation Week – 27 May to 3 June – is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
Find out more about National Reconciliation Week #NRW2025
As we enter 2025, NAIDOC Week marks a powerful milestone: 50 years of honoring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience. The 2025 theme, "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy," celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of our young leaders, the vision of our communities, and the legacy of our ancestors.
The NAIDOC journey began as a movement for recognition and rights, sparked by Indigenous communities who saw a future built on justice and equality. Over the decades, it has grown into a powerful national celebration, a testament to the enduring strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As we commemorate this 50-year legacy, we also look forward, honouring the next generation who will carry the torch, shaping the future with courage, insight, and deep respect for our roots. Guided by the wisdom of our Elders and the groundwork laid by our forebears, each NAIDOC Week reinforces our vision for an Australia where Indigenous voices are not only heard but lead the way.
This year, the National NAIDOC Committee takes an important step toward independence, embracing self-determination as a model for the next generation. With every story shared, every act of resilience remembered, and every cultural practice celebrated, we honour a legacy that reaches far into the past and extends into the future. As we celebrate this milestone, we look toward the next 50 years with excitement and confidence, while everyday ensuring that NAIDOC remains a movement grounded in community-led vision and integrity.
From this solid foundation, the next generation will rise—grounded in the strength of our Elders, history, inspired by a shared vision, and committed to building a legacy of unity, respect, and self-determination for all. This NAIDOC Week, we celebrate not just a milestone but a movement that endures, grows, and evolves—driven by the unwavering strength of our communities, the shared vision of our people, and the enduring legacy we pass on to those who will shape our future. Together, we walk forward, honoring where we've come from and looking boldly to the next generation who will carry NAIDOC and their communities into the future.
National Sorry Day is an Australia-wide observance held on 26 May each year.
National Reconciliation Week offers people across Australia the opportunity to focus on reconciliation, to hear about the cultures and histories of Australia’s First Nations peoples, and to explore new and better ways of meeting challenges in our communities.
As we enter 2025, NAIDOC Week marks a powerful milestone: 50 years of honoring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience. The 2025 theme, "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy"
His matrilineal connection is Gai-mariagal of Northern Sydney, and his patrilineal connection is to the Wiradjuri people of the Turon River region.
Susan Moylan-Coombs is Woolwonga Gurindji from the Northern Territory. Having lived on the Northern Beaches for over fifty years, where she has raised her family, Susan calls Gai-mariagal lands her spirit country.
Caroline Glass-Pattison is a proud Wiradjuri, Dungutti woman, living on Gai-mariagal Country for over three decades.
We acknowledge the original custodians of the land, the Gai-mariagal clans of the Northern Sydney Region. We pay our respects to the Elders past and present.
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