NAIDOC Week 2025 is a beacon of hope

‘NAIDOC Week (6-13 July 2025) is a time to learn about and celebrate the continued history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia,’ the Society’s National President Mark Gaetani said today. 

‘This year’s NAIDOC Week theme - ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy’ - honours the achievements of the past and the empowerment of young leaders and provides an opportunity to reflect on the generations of advocacy and activism.’ 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overrepresented in almost all support services provided by the Society, reflecting the challenges they experience from historic and contemporary injustices. 

‘Government interventions have repeatedly failed because they have been developed without respectful and informative listening to First Nations People’s advice on how issues should be tackled in community,’ Mr Gaetani said. 

‘We continue to advocate for improvements to the co-development and co-design of policy and funding of services and programs.  

‘Real change can only be achieved by empowering First Nations communities, groups and individuals to contribute to the important policy making decisions that affect their lives. 

‘This is why a focus on the Next Generation is so important and is filled with promise. It will help to truly recognise and value the place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia’s history.’ 

Mr Gaetani said the Society’s support for First Nations justice is informed by Catholic Social Teaching and by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council, the peak advisory body to the Australian Catholic Bishops. Resources have been developed to mark Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday on 6 July. 

‘It is time to listen and to put Indigenous voices at the heart of the Australian Government’s policies and programs that impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

‘We, the Australian people, have accepted the generous invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart to walk with First Nations people towards recognition, reconciliation and justice,’ Mr Gaetani said. 

‘The St Vincent de Paul Society is proud to support the Allies for Uluru and has been a long-standing supporter of the truth telling and treaty process. It is so important for the broader community to have a good understanding of the forces that shaped Australia’s history, both before and after European settlement. 

‘We support Catholic Religious Australia’s calls for a national approach to truth-telling that informs and supports the local, state and territory processes and provides a national repository for Australian history. 

‘The role of First Nations people is central to this story. We all need to know the truth about what happened here and the inter-generational impacts of these events.’ 

For information about the Society’s First Nations advocacy see here. 

The St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia consists of 45,000 members and volunteers who operate on the ground through over 1,000 groups located in local communities across the country.

MEDIA CONTACT
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