NAIDOC Week celebrations in 2006 are from 2 to 9 July.

The national theme for 2006 is, Respect the Past - Believe in the Future.

NAIDOC celebrations are held around Australia in the first full week in July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week, and its acronym has become the name of the week itself.

The week is celebrated not just in the Indigenous community, but also in increasing numbers of government agencies, schools, local councils and workplaces.

In addition to the many local activities, NAIDOC celebrations traditionally have a ‘national focus’:

a national focus city or town is chosen - this year it is Cairns,QLD
celebrations are based on a national theme - the theme for 2006 is Respect the Past - Believe in the Future
a national NAIDOC poster based on the theme is distributed, chosen from entries to the NAIDOC Poster Competition
celebrations culminate in an awards ceremony and ball held in the focus city -in 2006 the National NAIDOC Ball will be held at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday 8 July

at the ball, national awards are given to Indigenous achievers in a number of categories.

For many years, the Australian Government has been the major funding contributor to national focus activities.

Wherever you live, taking part in NAIDOC Week is a great way to celebrate Indigenous culture and build bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

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