👋🏽 Werte,
Welcome to this special National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day edition of the SNAICC Newsletter.
This year’s Children’s Day theme, Living Our Truth, honours the importance of truth-telling and the sharing of knowledge and stories across generations.
Living Our Truth is about recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live with pride and strength in their culture, identity and their history. Because we know that when our children are wrapped in culturally safe and supported environments, they thrive.
Every year since 1988 on August 4, SNAICC recognises and celebrates the strength, pride and potential of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
This year’s flagship event was held at Kummara Limited in Goodna, Brisbane and featured some deadly dancing, didgeridoo performances and a range of children’s activities which celebrate how deadly our children are.
This year we also celebrate the theme of NAIDOC Week 50 Years of Deadly. The milestone highlights the significance of our history of survival and achievements.
It’s a history that gives us pause to reflect on the fight and sacrifice of our ancestors, their accomplishments, and the path they have paved for our children.
This Children’s Day edition celebrates our deadly stories from across our sector, our resilience and our commitment to community, culture, language and identity.
So grab a cuppa, sit back and catch up on what’s been happening.
SNAICC Yarns: Children’s Day Ambassador Marlee Silva on Living Our Truth
Episode 14: Children’s Day 2026: Living Our Truth
What does Living Our Truth mean for the next generation?
For National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day Ambassador Marlee Silva, it starts with children being free to be exactly who they are, proud in culture, confident in identity and connected to community.
The proud Gamilaroi and Dunghutti woman, storyteller, author and sports presenter grew up with a strong cultural foundation and it still guides her work today. For Marlee, culture is not separate from everyday life. It is at the heart of how she shows up in the world.
In her SNAICC Yarns conversation, she talks about representation, storytelling, navigating mainstream media, and why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children should never make their dreams smaller.
Listen and Watch
Children’s Day Poster Exhibition
SNAICC celebrated NAIDOC week with our pop-up Children’s Day poster exhibition. The exhibition highlighted 38 years of Children’s Day, displaying the inaugural 1988 Children’s Day poster up to the current release.
Daniel Ross from the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation opened the evening with a Welcome to Country, sharing thoughts on the importance of language and culture.
SNAICC’s Chairperson Aunty Muriel Bamblett took attendees on a walk down memory lane, reflecting on the advocacy, achievements and stories behind almost four decades of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day.
View this post on Instagram
SNAICC thanks everyone who attended the event at the Koorie Heritage Trust in Naarm/Melbourne and helped create a special night celebrating our deadly history, culture, and commitment to advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2026: 50 Years of Deadly
Across the country as we celebrate NAIDOC Week, this year’s theme 50 Years of Deadly is an invitation to reflect on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, history and resilience.
Listen to our CEO Catherine Liddle’s reflections of this year’s theme:
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Standing with mob for NT Children and families
In late July, our sector stood on the lawns of NT Parliament House with Aboriginal organisations and allies from right across the Territory to protest the NT Government’s passing of child protection laws that weaken safeguards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
The laws weaken protections under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle. It also increases the risk that children will be permanently separated from their families because of systemic barriers such as housing shortages and inadequate family support.
The NT Government’s own review into the tragedy found that Kumanjayi Little Baby was failed by a child protection system in desperate need of reform, not by a lack of legislative powers.
Instead of fixing the failures identified in the review, the NT Government has passed legislation the sector overwhelmingly warned against. When governments ignore Aboriginal communities, frontline workers and child protection experts, they don’t just silence the sector, they miss the opportunity to make children safer.
Aboriginal organisations have been saying for years that the child protection system is in desperate need for reform. Last month the NT Government chose evidence over politics.
The frustration that we are feeling across the sector is real because the evidence has been communicated but ignored. Workers, advocates, people who know this system because they live and work in it every day.
But this isn’t the end of the conversation, SNAICC will keep advocating alongside our sector to see the outcomes our children and families deserve.
Catherine on ABC News Breakfast:
View this post on Instagram
Read SNAICC’s statement on the NT Bill
Read the joint rally statement
Closing the Gap update is both a proof point and a warning for governments
The Productivity Commission’s annual update of data for Closing the Gap targets reveals Target 3 on preschool enrolment has been met, while other targets on developmental readiness for school, out-of-home care and youth detention are worsening or stalling.
The progress on preschool enrolments shows what can happen when early education becomes more accessible: our families eagerly take it up.
However, targets around developmental readiness for school are worsening. Access alone is not enough. Improved outcomes must also focus on quality, continuity and cultural safety.
The update also shows worsening rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care and youth justice systems.
This update sends a clear message to federal, state and territory governments: when governments partner with Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, children thrive. When they don’t, the consequences are felt every day in the lives of our children and families.
Our children thrive in culturally safe environments
Mob know mob, and that is why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children thrive when they learn in culturally safe and supported environments.
We know that educators in ACCO ECEC services are in the best position to identify and support the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families.
However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience developmental vulnerability and disability at disproportionately high rates, and families still face real barriers to services that are available and culturally safe.
That is why SNAICC is calling on the federal government to design and deliver the Thriving Kids initiative in genuine partnership with Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs).
ACCO-led early childhood education and care services already deliver the culturally strong, holistic support that children and families need, making them perfectly placed to be partners in the design and delivery of Thriving Kids.
Without Aboriginal-led design and delivery, Thriving Kids risks reinforcing the very inequities it is meant to overcome.
Read the Thriving Kids Policy Paper
New report shows more of our children are attending early childhood education, but investment needs to be improved
A new Report on Government Services data shows the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children attending Child Care Subsidy-funded early childhood education and care has risen from 3.4 per cent in 2021 to 5.3 per cent in 2025, helped along by reforms like the removal of the Activity Test.
Increased participation is only half the story, without investment in culturally safe and supported Aboriginal community-controlled settings, we are missing the opportunity to give them the best start, because closing the gap starts with our children.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations deliver strong outcomes because they are culturally safe, trusted and designed with the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and their communities.
Doing things differently: a better funding model for ACCOs
SNAICC has released Doing Things Differently: Funding ACCOs to keep families together, a report on how governments should fund ACCOs delivering child and family support.
We found just six per cent of child and family services funding goes to ACCOs. Many services manage multiple grants, with eligibility and reporting requirements imposing administrative burdens.
SNAICC spoke with ACCOs across the country to understand what the current funding system actually costs services and worked with Deloitte to put real numbers to a better model. The work was commissioned through the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership.
Among the recommendations, the report calls for the establishment of a secure pool of funding and develop a more streamlined grants process to help deliver grants across all levels of government.
NSW EYS Gathering
At the NSW Gathering, around 60 early years leaders, educators and community representatives came together on Tubba-Gah Country in Dubbo to explore the theme “Leading with Place: A Strengths Based Approach.”
Across two days, attendees heard from a range of Aboriginal leaders, practitioners and sector experts who shared practical examples of culturally grounded leadership, inclusion, community-led education and connection to Country.
A highlight of the gathering was Professor Paul Callaghan’s keynote on the 8 Rs of Leadership, which encouraged participants to draw on both Aboriginal and Western knowledge systems to strengthen their leadership practice.
Participants also took part in workshops, service spotlights and discussions focused on disability inclusion, Aboriginal pedagogies, cultural identity, professional learning and strengthening outcomes for Aboriginal children and families.
The gathering provided a valuable opportunity to share knowledge, celebrate local successes and deepen connections across the early years sector.
VIC EYS Gathering
This year’s Victorian Early Years Support Leadership Event brought ACCO ECEC leaders together on Wurundjeri Country in Healesville for two days of learning, yarning and connection. Twenty-four leaders from eleven services joined the gathering.
The 2026 theme, Yarning for Growth: Listening, Learning, Leading Together, centred on disability inclusion and what that looks like in everyday practice.
Participants heard from presenters on supporting families to access the NDIS, and from psychologist Mel Grover on understanding children’s behaviour. A yarning panel followed with leaders sharing stories from their work supporting children with disabilities and what community-led inclusion looks like when it is done well.
A highlight was the chance for services to showcase their own deadly work. Leaders from Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-Operative (BADAC) shared their Journey to Big School program, and Djimbaya Kindergarten presented Brain States, a parenting program helping families understand children’s development and wellbeing.
Beyond the learning, the event created space for genuine connection. Leaders mixed across services, built new relationships, and wrapped up with a relaxed visit to Healesville Sanctuary.
Towri MACS awarded funding to support their deadly work
The deadly team at Towri MACS in Bathurst has received $180,000 from the NSW Government to upgrade the original weatherboard preschool building that has supported local Aboriginal families for more than 40 years.
Towri is a Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Service and a vital hub for early learning, family support and cultural connection.
The funding will repurpose the old preschool into a modern, culturally safe multipurpose space, with room for sensory gym activities, meetings with health professionals, therapy sessions, art classes, technology lessons and small group gatherings.
Families, educators and community members celebrated the announcement onsite, joining Paul Toole MP as Towri Aboriginal Corporation received the ceremonial cheque.
It is an exciting step for Towri, and for the children and families it supports.
Sector Strengthening SA
As part of the South Australian Early Years Support (EYS) initiative, SNAICC has partnered with Social Ventures Australia (SVA) to work alongside Aboriginal Community Controlled and Aboriginal-led early years services, co-designing a support model grounded in community voice, cultural strength and self-determination.
At the heart of this work has been listening. Through consultations and yarning, educators and leaders generously shared their knowledge, their experiences and their aspirations for Aboriginal early years education and care. Those conversations made space to celebrate what is working, name the challenges, and explore what services need to strengthen outcomes for children, families and communities.
In June, services came together in Port Lincoln for an in-person co-design workshop facilitated by SNAICC and SVA. Participants from metropolitan, regional and remote communities connected, shared stories and collectively shaped priorities for the future, and the gathering showed the depth of knowledge and leadership across Aboriginal-led services in South Australia.
A second workshop follows online in late July, keeping services at the centre of shaping the future EYS support model.
A Place for Culture
A Place for Culture recently ran in-person workshops for ECEC educators and leaders from mainstream services in Sydney and Wollongong.
The training invited participants to explore practical ways to embed culturally responsive practice using Aboriginal Ways of Knowing, Being and Doing. Educators engaged their heads, hearts and hands to craft their why, centring on keeping culture strong and proud, and recognising culture as a protective factor.
Through real-life case studies, participants shared wise practice and built confidence to create environments where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives are woven into everyday practice.
Educators came from across the sector, from those just starting out through to experienced leaders.
Participant feedback included:
“Beyond my expectations… a safe space to deepen our knowledge.”
“Absolutely amazing, safe and meaningful.”
“Thank you for the meaningful program… it’s made a big difference to my understanding, which I’ll share with colleagues.”
Places are available for Boorloo (Perth) in late August.
Register your expression of interest for Brisbane, Cairns and Canberra. Limited places for this free opportunity.
QATSICPP wins 2026 Queensland Reconciliation Week Award
The Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak (QATSICPP) has won the Education category award at the 2026 Queensland Reconciliation Week Awards for its Cultural Parenting Framework.
The Framework is a practical resource that highlights the strengths of cultural parenting practices and sets out clear strategies for embedding them within mainstream child and family services. It reflects a shared commitment to services that recognise, respect and support the cultural context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
In 2025, QATSICPP partnered with 11 member organisations, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Organisations, and with parents across Queensland to co-design it.
Built with community and in collaboration with mainstream providers, the Cultural Parenting Framework is a meaningful step towards stronger partnerships and better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
SNAICC wins silver at 2026 Australasian Reporting Awards
SNAICC is proud to announce that our 2024-25 Annual Report won silver at the 2026 Australasian Reporting Awards.
The win recognises SNAICC’s efforts in sharing our advocacy and success for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, communities, families and children.
Read the 2024-25 Annual Report
Find out more here.
Worker Retention Package (WRP) Extension Announcement
In June 2026, the Australian Government Department of Education committed $3.6 billion to extending the WRP, ensuring a 15% wage increase for educators until the 30th June 2028.
SNAICC commends the Federal Government backing hardworking early education and care (ECEC) workers by extending the Worker Retention Payment.
Investing in ACCO-led ECEC is one of the most effective ways to strengthen outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. We encourage governments to continue building reforms that support these services to thrive.
SNAICC is available to assist services navigate the process so they can focus on supporting and retaining the dedicated educators their communities rely on.
ACCO ECEC’s are encouraged to reach out so we can help navigate accessing the Worker Retention Payment. For WRP support, contact workforce@snaicc.org.au
First in-person Youth Voice sub-committee meeting in Cairns
SNAICC’s Youth Voice sub-committee met in person in Gimuy/Cairns to discuss the direction and priorities that young mob want to see in SNAICC’s work.
The sub-committee members undertook workshops on leadership, governance and how SNAICC can support them to share their stories, develop their leadership skills and help them advocate for their communities.
Celebrating the Deadly work of Aunty Julie Carey
The NSW Department of Education recently shone a spotlight on one of SNAICC’s ACCO members and a deadly leader in Aboriginal early childhood education, Aunty Julie Carey.
Aunty Julie Carey has spent more than 30 years as Centre Director of Kulai Preschool in Coffs Harbour, shaping the earliest learning of generations of Aboriginal children.
In recognition of this career, last year Aunty Julie Carey was awarded with a Nanga Mai Award for Outstanding Contribution to Early Educational Achievement by an Aboriginal Staff Member.
Kulai has cared for and educated Aboriginal children since 1961. Some of its former students now sit on the preschool’s management committee, a sign of how deeply the service is woven into its community.
Under Aunty Julie’s leadership, Kulai is rated Exceeding, and was one of the first services in the area to revitalise local language, with Garby Elders sharing stories and knowledge directly with the children. She also mentors new preschool directors across the region, passing on three decades of experience.
SNAICC would like to thank all the Deadly contributions across the country who work tirelessly to improve the lives and outcomes of the children and families across their communities.
SNAICC acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connections to land, waters, culture and communities.
We pay our respect to Elders both past and present.