Australia's week to significantly celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements is around the corner. Kicking off on Friday 7 July, NAIDOC week's 2019 theme will champion an approach for a better future.
NAIDOC 2019 — what's it about?
Voice, Treaty, Truth, will be this year's celebratory mantra with the notion that, in order for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia to walk together, the following steps must be taken:
Indigenous knowledges and experiences need to be heard through their own Voices; First Nations people should have a seat at the bargaining table in discussions of Constitutional reform and Treaties; And a Truthful depiction of colonisation needs to underpin the narrative of Australian history.
This year's NAIDOC host city is Canberra, ACT.
SBS champions First Nations history, culture and achievements
As a first time National NAIDOC Principal Media Partner, the SBS network will mark NAIDOC Week 2019 with a dedicated schedule of programming of unique Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories from 5 July.
The network will also act as official Education Partner 2019-2021, providing educational resources to schools nationally to help students learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture with sections dedicated to several subjects including English, Geography and History.
SBS Director, Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald, said that as Australia’s multicultural and Indigenous broadcaster, SBS is uniquely placed to share stories of First Nations cultures, communities and conversations with all Australians.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling is a core part of SBS’s offering all year round, and NAIDOC Week is the perfect time for the network to present a broad slate of programs that encourage a deeper understanding of Australia’s shared history and shared future, and to celebrate together the achievements of our First Nations peoples,” he said in a statement.
SBS is home to NITV, who joined the channel in 2012, a channel providing a platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and experiences.
What's on?: Special slate of NAIDOC programming
The heart of the NAIDOC Week programming schedule is the 2019 National NAIDOC Awards, an event recognising individuals who have significantly contributed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievements. The live broadcast will be hosted by Elaine Crombie, Megan Wilding, Rachael Hocking and Aaron Fa’Aoso on NITV, SBS On Demand and NITV Facebook Live on Saturday 6 July, 6.30pm.
SBS and NITV will simulcast award-winning documentary Gurrumul on Sunday 7 July, 8.30pm, a special documentary celebrating the life of one of Australia’s most acclaimed voices, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.
Documentary Gurrumul will be simulcast on SBS & NITV on Sunday, 7 July 2019 Source: Supplied
On NITV:Image
Further highlights on NITV include winner of the Sydney Film Festival Best Australian Documentary award, She Who Must Be Loved on Sunday 14 July, 8.30pm. The documentary tells the life story of Alfreda Glynn, the inspiring founder of the first Aboriginal Australian TV and radio network.
The modern remake of the classic film Storm Boy, will also be broadcast, as well as music documentary, Westwind: Djalu’s Legacy and the ground-breaking feature film Rabbit-Proof Fence.
NITV’s flagship news and current affairs program, The Point will broadcast from Old Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday 10 July, 8.30pm, featuring a group of young leaders from across the country. NITV News will broadcast daily from the capital, covering the week’s events and celebrating NAIDOC Award winners each day.
On SBS:Image
SBS will broadcast episodes of documentaries First Contact, Who Do You Think You Are?, Going Places With Ernie Dingo.
It will broadcastTudawali on Sunday 14 July, a film about the life Robert Tudawali, the first Aboriginal film star.
Living Black host Karla Grant will speak with former Australian Rules footballers, Adam Goodes and Nicky Winmar as well as former sprinter, Cathy Freeman in special episodes of the Indigenous current affairs program from Friday 12 July, 4pm.
SBS World News will cover events and stories happening across the nation in NAIDOC Week.
The Point’s Rachael Hocking will host a special episode of SBS’s Insight on Tuesday 9 July, 8.30pm, focusing on the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trailblazers.
In addition, The Point’s John Paul Janke will host an episode of Small Business Secrets on Friday 12 July, 3.30pm, SBS.
On SBS World Movies:Image
SBS’s new free-to-air movie channel, SBS World Movies will broadcast First Nations films Yolngu Boy on Wednesday 10 July, 11.35pm and Charlie’s Country on Thursday 11 July, 1.40am.
On SBS On Demand:Image
SBS On Demand will premiere Robbie Hood, a mischievous short-form comedy series set in Alice Springs.
Audiences will also be able to enjoy a wide variety of Australian movies with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander themes on the free streaming platform, including The Fringe Dwellers, Manganinnie, Tudawali and Mad Dog Morgan.
On SBS VICELAND:Image
SBS VICELAND will air Island Queens on Monday 8 July, 11pm, the second documentary in VICE’s Australiana series, which explores the gay and transgender Indigenous community of the Tiwi Islands.
It will also broadcast the television premiere of Robbie Hood on Tuesday 9 July, 9.30pm and run mini-documentaries on the 2019 National NAIDOC Award winners from Sunday 7 July.
The Point's Rachael Hocking will also host an Indigenous-focused episode of SBS VICELAND’s The Feed on Thursday 11 July, 8.30pm, alongside presenter Laura Murphy-Oates.
On SBS Food:Image
On SBS Food, audiences will get a taste of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flavours and bush foods with shows like Kriol Kitchen and On Country Kitchen airing nightly at 5pm and 5.30pm throughout the week.
On SBS Radio:
SBS Radio will celebrate and share stories with multicultural communities with digital and audio content focused on the 2019 NAIDOC theme, Voice. Treaty. Truth, across 68 languages all week.
NITV Radio will have a range of special guests on the show, including Jackie Huggins and Rod Little from the National Congress and Dr Chelsea Bond and Angelina Hurley from the radio show, Wild Black Women.
National NAIDOC Week runs 7 - 14 July 2019. For information head to the official . Join the conversation #NAIDOC2019 & #VoiceTreatyTruth
