Prepared by: 2Spirits Chairperson

Edited by: 2Spirits Director – Phil Sariago

 

As we join communities across the country in celebrating NAIDOC Week 2026, the Board of 2Spirits proudly honours this year’s milestone theme: 50 Years of Deadly. For half a century, NAIDOC themes have spoken to survival, resistance, culture, pride and truth-telling. They have marked the moments when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples shaped the national conversation and reminded Australia where it must focus our attention.

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For us at 2Spirits, this milestone carries deep meaning. Our work stands on the same foundations that have carried NAIDOC forward for fifty years — cultural authority, community leadership, and the unwavering determination of mob who refused to be silenced. The strength of Sistergirl and Brotherboy communities, Elders, activists, artists and organisers has ensured that NAIDOC remains grounded in culture, identity and collective power. That same strength guides our organisation every day.

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This year’s theme invites us to reflect not only on the endurance of NAIDOC, but on how far our health system has come because of deadly First Nations leadership. Fifty years ago, health systems were not designed for our communities. They were not culturally safe, not community-controlled, and not accountable for equity. Yet our people organised, advocated and built the foundations of what is now recognised as essential national infrastructure: community-controlled health, cultural safety frameworks, trauma-informed practice, and a growing First Nations health workforce.

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Today, 2Spirits stands proudly within that legacy. Our role in supporting the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy peoples reflects the same principles NAIDOC has championed for decades — truth-telling, cultural strength, community governance and long-term vision. We see the impact of this deadly leadership in every part of the health system: in the rise of Indigenous-led research, in the recognition that culture is health, and in the growing commitment to equity across Queensland and Australia.

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As a Board, we honour the Elders, leaders and communities who carried this movement forward and who continue to guide our path. We acknowledge the responsibility that comes with this milestone year — to strengthen our governance, deepen cultural safety, and ensure that 2Spirits remains a place where community leads, culture guides, and our visibility is central to our healing.

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50 Years of Deadly reminds us that NAIDOC has always belonged to mob. So does 2Spirits. Together, we affirm a simple truth: the work continues, the momentum is growing, and our next chapter will be even more deadly than the last.

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On behalf of the Board of 2Spirits, we wish all our communities a powerful, proud and culturally grounded NAIDOC Week 2026