Strong. Proud. Deadly. Celebrating 50 years of NAIDOC.

NAIDOC Week 2026 | 5 – 12 July

This week, Australia celebrates NAIDOC Week, a time to honour the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This year is extra special. The 2026 theme, 50 Years: Strong. Proud. Deadly. marks five decades of NAIDOC Week. Fifty years of celebrating the world’s oldest living cultures. Fifty years of First Nations voices being heard.

At CoAct, we’re proud to celebrate this milestone and reflect on the work still ahead.

What NAIDOC Week means to us

NAIDOC Week is more than a date on the calendar. It’s a chance to learn, listen and stand alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

At CoAct, our goal is to help people find work and change their lives. A big part of that is making sure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have the same opportunities as everyone else.

Fifty years of strength

The theme 50 Years: Strong. Proud. Deadly. is a celebration, but it’s also a recognition of how hard that strength has been earned.

Last year, we spoke with Eboni-Mae Toon, a proud Wakka Wakka woman and Recruitment Partner with our service partner Five Bridges. She works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers in Rockhampton. She put it simply:

We gain strength from the struggles we overcome. If we can take our struggles and turn them into strength without forgetting who we are and what we know, that’s powerful.

That’s the heart of this year’s theme.

Breaking cycles, building futures

Eboni-Mae also talked about one of the most important lessons passed down in her family, breaking the cycle.

Breaking those cycles is what builds strong foundations for our future generations. Then those foundations get passed down, making each generation stronger.

This is exactly what good employment support can do. Work gives people more than money, it gives them purpose, identity and hope. But this work doesn’t stop after NAIDOC Week, reconciliation is a year-round effort.

As CoAct CEO Simon Brown has said:

the goal is to create tangible and substantive benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, increasing economic equity and support for First Nations self-determination.

What’s one thing you can do this week that you’ll still be doing next year?

Ways to get involved this NAIDOC Week

• Go to a local event. Communities across Australia are hosting NAIDOC celebrations. Find one near you and show up.
• Learn about Country. Take time to learn about the Traditional Custodians of the land where you live and work.
• Listen and amplify. Follow and share the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, this week and beyond.
• Check in on your RAP. If your workplace has a Reconciliation Action Plan, use this week to review your progress.
• Support Indigenous-owned businesses. Spending with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned businesses is a simple, practical way to make a difference.

A milestone worth celebrating

Fifty years of NAIDOC. Fifty years of strength, pride and culture kept alive and passed forward.

At CoAct, we’re honoured to play a part in that story, through our work, our partnerships and our ongoing commitment to reconciliation. We celebrate the Elders who carried culture forward, and the young people building something even better for the generations ahead.

Strong. Proud. Deadly.

CoAct acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to the Peoples, the Cultures and the Elders past, present and emerging.