National NAIDOC Week 2025

Celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year to recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

This year’s National NAIDOC Week from 6–13 July marks a powerful milestone: 50 years of honouring 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.

NAIDOC week webinar

Join us on Wednesday 9 June from 12-1 pm (AEST) for You can't ask that: A candid conversation on Indigenous mental health.

Bring your curiosity and listen to a no-holds-barred conversation with three of Australia's Indigenous psychiatrists – Dr Chris Henry, Dr Amanda Steele and Dr Marshall Watson – as they tackle your questions about the unique challenges faced by Indigenous Australians, cultural safety in psychiatric practice, breaking down stigma and building trust.

Register now

The next generation of psychiatrists

This year, we are pleased to profile Angus Loft and Samantha Katon – members of the College’s Psychiatry Interest Forum, and the next generation of psychiatrists. Read about what the NAIDOC theme means to them, how their Elders and ancestors influenced their journey into medicine and psychiatry, and more.

Samantha Katon is from Yuin nation and a second-year medical student at the University of Newcastle.

"I see the next generation of First Nations psychiatrists shaping psychiatry by bringing lived experience to the table, by understanding your own history and how it has shaped you."

Read Samantha's profile

Angus Loft is a Kamilaroi man and second-year medical student at the University of Queensland.

“To me, this year's NAIDOC theme represents hope. Hope that the next generation will continue to improve upon the foundations and legacy built by the generations before us.”

Read Angus' profile

The College’s advocacy

The College proudly honours the strength, resilience, and enduring cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

We acknowledge the ongoing challenges faced by First Nations communities and continue to advocate for better mental health outcomes through a range of initiatives.

We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to experience significantly poorer mental health outcomes, and remain steadfast in our advocacy to close the gap in health and life expectancy.

Through our work as part of our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2024–2026, we’re strengthening our commitment to creating spaces that are culturally safe, respectful, and inclusive. We’re working to embed and uphold Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ ways of knowing, being, and doing across everything we do as a College – not just in words, but in action.

Get involved

Wherever you live, you can take part in NAIDOC Week celebrations. To find out about local activities in your area, visit the NAIDOC Week events webpage.


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