Queensland Government funds support Indigenous celebrations

The Queensland Government will fund numerous community activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the formation of the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) in July this year.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Warren Pitt today invited interested groups to apply for funds, averaging about $1000, for community activities to mark NAIDOC Week.

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held around Australia early in July each year to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. NAIDOC Week celebrations this year will be held from 8–15 July.

“NAIDOC Week festivities are not limited to the Indigenous community, but are held also in increasing numbers of government agencies, schools, local councils and individual workplaces,” Mr Pitt said.

“In many places, the celebrations are as simple as an Indigenous flag-raising ceremony or a sausage sizzle, while others go to greater lengths and organise dinners and Indigenous cultural performances.

“With this year being the 50th anniversary, NAIDOC has adopted the theme ‘50 Years: Looking Forward – Looking Blak’.

“This funding scheme is part of the Queensland Government’s commitment to building new partnerships that will result in a better future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders.

“Regional offices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships within the Department of Communities will help groups to apply for funds, with applications to close on 28 March.”

Media contact: Joe Begley 3235 4280

Note:

The National NAIDOC website (http://www.naidoc.org.au) says NAIDOC had its origins in the fight for Aboriginal rights that began to gather pace in the 1920s and 1930s. In those years, organisations such as the Australian Aborigines Progress Association, the Australian Aborigines League and the Aborigines Progressive Association were established to draw attention to the living conditions suffered by Aboriginal people and their lack of citizenship rights.

In 1957, a National Aborigines Day Observance Committee (NADOC) was formed with support and cooperation from Federal and State governments, the churches and major Indigenous organisations. Its aim was to promote Aboriginal Sunday as a day to focus community attention on the nation’s Aboriginal people.

After the 1967 Aboriginal Referendum and the establishment in 1972 of a Federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs, the national focus on Indigenous issues increased significantly. In 1974, NADOC became an all-Indigenous committee and, in 1975, extended Aboriginal Day to National Aborigines Week.