NAIDOC History and Annual Themes
Honour our history.Celebrate our cultures.Look to our future.
Explore the community movement behind NAIDOC, follow the themes that have shaped each year, and plan for the next celebration.
Looking ahead toNAIDOC Week 2027.
Celebrate our histories, our cultures and the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Planning target: Sunday 4 July 2027, 12:00 am AEST.
Provisional date based on the customary first Sunday in July. Official 2027 dates and theme are awaiting confirmation. This planning countdown is not an official event announcement.
Recognition.Resistance.Celebration.
NAIDOC Week celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and achievements across Australia.
Its roots are in Aboriginal community organising, the struggle for equality and the determination to be heard. It grew from an annual observance into a national week of celebration, recognition and continuing advocacy.
The next chapter is still being announced.
Official 2027 dates and the national theme had not been confirmed in the official sources checked on 11 November 2026. The countdown uses a clearly labelled planning estimate until confirmed information is available.
NAIDOC’s customary timing is the first to second Sunday in July. Dates can change, so use the official announcement before committing to an event.
Community voices.A continuing story.
A movement for recognition
Aboriginal organisations challenged exclusion and mistreatment and sought wider public awareness. Their activism helped lay the foundations for the annual observances that developed into NAIDOC.
Day of Mourning
Aboriginal people gathered at Australia Hall in Sydney to protest injustice and demand equality. The Australian Aborigines League and Aborigines Progressive Association helped organise this landmark event.
An annual observance
William Cooper sought support for a recurring observance. Aboriginal Sunday began in 1940, before Australia Day; in 1955 it moved to the first Sunday in July.
NADOC is formed
The National Aborigines Day Observance Committee formed with support from Aboriginal organisations, governments and churches. NADOC is the earlier committee acronym; NAIDOC includes recognition of Islanders.
An all-Aboriginal committee
For the first time, the NADOC committee consisted entirely of Aboriginal members.
A week of celebration
The committee decided to extend the observance across a week, from the first to the second Sunday in July.
Recognition of Torres Strait Islander peoples
NAIDOC’s history places the expanded recognition of Torres Strait Islander peoples under this period. The acronym became the name of the week as well as the committee.
History, culture and achievement
NAIDOC Week celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and achievements. Communities, workplaces, schools and people across Australia can participate and learn.
Historical names are retained where needed to explain the record. They are not an endorsement of outdated language. Sources describe some organisational name changes differently; the linked histories provide that context.
Every theme.A voice for its time.
A year-by-year index of the published annual themes from 1972 to 2026. These are theme titles, rather than the titles of individual poster artworks.
Year
National theme
Source
2026
50 Years of Deadly
2025
The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy
2024
Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and ProudThe announcement headline and committee resources use and; the ministerial article body uses an ampersand. Preserve Blak as published.
2023
For Our Elders
2022
Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!
2021
Heal Country!
2020
Always Was, Always Will Be.
2019
Voice. Treaty. Truth. Let’s work together for a shared futureThe National NAIDOC Committee's announcement includes Let’s work together for a shared future in the theme. Some archive indexes show only Voice. Treaty. Truth.; Awaken is the artwork title.
2018
Because of her, we can!
2017
Our Languages Matter
2016
Songlines – The living narrative of our nation
2015
We all stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and CelebrateNAIDOC's announcement uses Learn, Respect and Celebrate. Other official resources use an ampersand and different capitalisation; words and meaning are unchanged.
2014
Serving Country: Centenary & Beyond
2013
We value the vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963
2012
Spirit of the Tent Embassy: 40 years onUse the contemporaneous Commonwealth ministerial announcement. AIATSIS's current 2012 Theme field incorrectly repeats the 2014 theme Serving Country: Centenary & Beyond.
2011
Change: the next step is ours
2010
Unsung Heroes – Closing the Gap by Leading Their Way
2009
Honouring Our Elders, Nurturing Our Youth
2008
Advance Australia Fair?AIATSIS's current 2008 Theme field contains an apparent placeholder. This title is verified against the contemporaneous Australian High Commission speech and the NAIDOC poster.
2007
50 Years: Looking Forward, Looking Blak
2006
Respect the Past-Believe in the Future
2005
Our Future Begins with Solidarity
2004
Self-determination-Our Community-Our Future-Our Responsibility
2003
Our Children Our Future
2002
Recognition, Rights and Reform
2001
Treaty-Let’s Get it RightPunctuation varies: NAIDOC poster title is Treaty... let's get it right; AIATSIS and the council annual-theme list use Treaty-Let’s Get it Right.
2000
Building Pride in Our Communities
1999
RespectFraser Coast Regional Council's historical annual-theme list records Respect. AIATSIS instead labels the expanded poster wording Show some, earn some respect as its theme. Preserve this source variation; Respect is the concise annual-theme heading used here.
1998
Bringing Them Home
1997
Gurindji, Mabo, Wik-Three Strikes for Justice-Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the 1967 ReferendumAnnual theme appears below the artist on the NAIDOC page; The Protector is the artwork title.
1996
Survive-Revive-Come Alive
1995
Justice Not Tolerance
1994
Families Are the Basis of Our Existence-Maintain the Link
1993
Aboriginal Nations-Owners of the Land Since Time Began-Community is Unity
1992
Maintain the Dreaming-Our Culture is Our Heritage
1991
Community is Unity-Our Future Depends on Us
1990
New Decade-Don’t Destroy, Learn and Enjoy Our Cultural Heritage
1989
The Party is Over-Let’s Be Together as an Aboriginal Nation
1988
Recognise and Share the Survival of the Oldest Culture in the World
1987
White Australia Has a Black History
1986
Peace-Not For You-Not For Me-But For All
1985
Understanding: It Takes the Two of Us
1984
Take a Journey of Discovery – To the Land My Mother
1983
Let’s Talk - We Have Something To Say
1982
Race For Life For a Race
1981
Sacred Sites Aboriginal Rights-Other Australians Have Their Rites
1980
Treat Us to a Treaty on Land Rights
1979
1979 International Year of the Child. What About Our Kids!
1978
Cultural Revival is Survival
1977
Chains or Change
1976
Trucanini Last of her People Born 18?? Died 1876. Buried 1976. Received Her Land Rights at LastHistorical title and spelling are preserved as catalogued. The phrase Last of her People is an erroneous historical characterisation, not a present-day claim. Add context if displaying this title.
1975
Justice for Urban Aboriginal ChildrenAIATSIS records this annual theme but lacks the poster. NAIDOC now supplies a 1975 poster with the distinct title Just this? Or justice; keep annual theme and artwork title separate.
1974
Self-DeterminationAIATSIS renders the same title without a hyphen: Self Determination.
1973
It’s Time For Mutual UnderstandingTheme is recorded by AIATSIS although its collection does not hold the 1973 poster. The NAIDOC poster gallery has no 1973 entry. This is a poster gap, not an unknown-theme gap.
1972
Advance Australia Where?
No themes match. Try a year, another word or a different decade.
The index begins with the published 1972 poster-era theme records. The 1973 and 1975 theme titles are recorded even where a collection has a poster gap. Earlier observances are covered in the history above; no earlier annual theme is invented. Annual titles are linked to NAIDOC, AIATSIS and other government records. No official poster artwork is reproduced.
Make space forlocal voices.
Plan with local Traditional Owners, Elders and community organisations. Consider local cultural protocols, accessibility, fair engagement arrangements and opportunities for younger people to take part.
Keep learning beyond the week.
NAIDOC’s themes invite continuing conversations about culture, rights, self-determination, language, Country and community leadership.
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