Get involved and show your support for a “NAIDOC Day” public holiday

Jul 7, 2022

We have public holidays for horse races, invasions, footy games, wars and the birthday of foreign monarchs, but we don’t have a day to share and celebrate the history and culture of First Peoples.

We’re calling for the creation of a “NAIDOC Day” public holiday – a day for everyone to celebrate and show our commitment to creating a better future together – and we’d love you to show your support by signing our petition!

At the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, our work on Treaty builds upon the efforts of our predecessors, such as the activism of those who fought for the establishment of NAIDOC.

Sign the petition

Why do we need a NAIDOC day public holiday?

This country has the oldest living culture in the world and that’s worth celebrating.

NAIDOC Week is an annual occasion of remembrance and resistance that has evolved into a national celebration of community, cultures and Country. It originated from boycotts in protest against the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as far back as the 1920s. This is why a public holiday of remembrance and celebration of Aboriginal histories and cultures would be best placed in this week.

A NAIDOC Day public holiday would be inclusive, educate the wider community about our culture and celebrate our many successes. This is what Treaty is all about – securing real, lasting change to create a better future together, as equals.

The theme for this year’s NAIDOC Week is Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! and that’s exactly what we need you to do.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people only make up about 3% of the population, that’s why we need everyone to work together to agitate for change, and help us have a public holiday everyone can proudly celebrate.

Who are we?

The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria is the elected voice for Aboriginal people and communities in Treaty discussions.

The Assembly is made up of 31 members, elected from Aboriginal communities and traditional owner groups in Victoria in 2019.

If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person living in Victoria, make sure you are enrolled with the Assembly to show your support and have your say about the next steps in our journey to Treaty.

Privacy Consent Statement

First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria (Assembly, we, us or our) and its agents will collect, use, store and disclose your personal information (including your sensitive information) provided in this form for the purpose of building support for a NAIDOC Public Holiday. This may include presenting the petition to third parties, such as a member of the Victorian State Government and otherwise in accordance with our Privacy Policy found online here or as required by law. Our Privacy Policy explains how we will collect, use, store and disclose your personal information and the way in which you can access and seek the correction of your personal information or complain about a breach of the Privacy Act. If we present this NAIDOC Public Holiday petition to the Victorian State Government, it will only include your name and no other personal information. We may, however, use information you provide relating to your ethnicity to make general, anonymous statements about what proportion of petition signatories (if any) identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. We may use your contact details to contact you about the petition or otherwise in relation to the Assembly’s activities. The Assembly will not use or disclose your personal information for any other reasons, other than with your consent as provided in this form.

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