The 2021 National NAIDOC Poster, ‘Care for Country’ was designed by Gubbi Gubbi artist Maggie-Jean Douglas.

Using the 2021 NAIDOC Week theme, Heal Country!, as inspiration; ‘Care for Country’ is a bright and vibrant artwork which explores how Country has cared for and healed First Nations people spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially and culturally.

The artwork includes communities, people, animals and bush medicines spread over different landscapes of red dirt, green grass, bush land and coastal areas to tell the story of the many ways Country can and has healed us throughout our lives and journeys.

NACCHO Chair Donnella Mills (pictured) says NAIDOC Week 2021 calls upon all of us to continue to seek greater protection for our lands, our Elders, our people, and safeguard our culture.

“The health of Country, and the health of First Nations' people, is firmly bound together. Country is family, kin, law, lore, ceremony, traditions, and language. After 250 years of dispossession and dislocation, traditional connection to Country and knowledge of Country is precarious. So much rests in the hands and minds of our Elders, our living national treasures. Right now, we have to protect the people who give us the knowledge to heal Country.”

“We have shown the world what can be done to keep First Nations peoples safe during a global pandemic. In the USA, the Navajo had the highest death rate of any ethnic population. In Australia, not one Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person has died from COVID-19. That is because the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector and Governments are working together to protect our most vulnerable families and communities. Our sector should be proud. Indeed, the pandemic is not yet defeated, but at least recent gains have positioned us well and we can afford a little time to reflect on what we have achieved.”

You can also watch Donnella talk about the COVID-19 vaccination in the short video linked here.

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) tracker has again revealed Australia’s poor results when it comes to Indigenous human rights and treatment. Surveying experts and collating data analysis on civil, political, economic and social rights, the HRMI measures a nation’s performance on all human rights covered by international law. It found the majority of experts agreed Indigenous Australians had most of their human rights at risk. Click here to learn more.

It was a year for the history books. Catastrophic climate disasters, a worldwide pandemic and political and social division – but 2020 also saw, globally, what can be achieved when time, energy and resources are dedicated to truly important issues. The 2020 UTS Social Justice Report highlights how one university seeks to create impact, helping people, communities and the environment. Click here to read and learn more.

Did your remuneration or employment change during the past year? Or, do you need help understanding the current benchmarks for the not-for-profit sector? The Pro Bono Australia Salary Survey can help. With 8 years of in-depth research on not-for-profit salaries behind us, the Salary Survey has become the most comprehensive and most trusted NFP remuneration report in Australia. Whether you’re looking to benchmark salaries for your team or you want to be armed with data for successful pay negotiation, the 2021 Salary Survey will allow you to make better informed remuneration decisions. Find out more.

Anglicare Sydney’s Life After Lockdown report shows evidence of a social recession and an increase in financial hardship in the aftermath of COVID-19. Most notably, Anglicare saw an increase in clients with large rental debts, an increase in young people accessing its food and financial assistance services, and an increase in people self-reporting stress and anxiety. Learn more and read the report here.

• To celebrate National NAIDOC Week, the Indigenous Peoples’ Organisation Australia and Better Futures Australia are hosting a range of free webinars — Heal Country, Heal Climate. Join this critical dialogue among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to explore climate change impacts and solutions - Monday 5 to Friday 9 July - Click here to learn more and register

• This impact2021 webinar marks the release of the Centre for Social Impact’s new research report, Systems change for financial wellbeing: micro, meso and macro-level drivers. This webinar hopes to help catalyse discussion and action to collectively work towards reducing financial inequalities across Australia - 15 July 2021 - Click here for more information and to register

• Jesuit Social Services and the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) are pleased to host the 5th National Justice Symposium. The date of the Symposium marks the 5th anniversary of the announcement of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory. Centring the voices and stories of First Nations young people and their communities, the Symposium will explore the ingredients for change from the grassroots to the system level - 28-29 July 2021 - Click here for more information and click here to register

• The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) and the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) are pleased to announce that the biennial FECCA conference, Advancing Multicultural Australia, will take place in 2022 in Melbourne. This face-to-face conference will allow people from across the country to share their knowledge and lived experiences, particularly in the aftermath of COVID-19 - 10-11 March 2022 - Click here for more information and to register

• Australian Human Rights Commission launched a new online resource hub to help workplaces build and maintain successful multigenerational workforces. The resource hub provides practical strategies for employers and employees, and is being launched alongside a new campaign to raise awareness about workplace age discrimination. The new resource hub includes free training modules and resources to help employers and employees understand their rights and responsibilities relating to age discrimination, alongside strategies for recruiting and retaining older workers. Click here to access and learn more.

• Recent research identifies key opportunities to increase philanthropic giving with implications for not-for-profit organisations. Philanthropy plays an important role in our society; supporting diverse charities, not-for-profit organisations and community groups to form the social capital, which strengthens communities across the country. This article by Social Ventures Australia provides insights to grow philanthropic giving for not-for-profits. Click here to learn more.

• The Community Colleges Australia National Adult and Community Education Summit on 29 June (https://cca.edu.au/what-we-do/2021-national-ace-summit/) examined issues of aged care workforce training and foundation skills – language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills. You can watch the videos of the whole Summit through the conference platform https://ace.delegateconnect.co/x/agenda. Of particular interest to ACOSS members are the panel discussions on aged care workforce training and foundation skills.

Service providers, such as Berry Street Family Violence Support in Victoria's Central Highlands, started hearing immediately from women trapped at home with abusive partners.

"[COVID] was another form of control that they could use to further isolate the women and children as well. So we absolutely saw that," Denise O'Dowd from Berry Street said.

Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia chief executive Hayley Foster said the committee's report represents a "landmark moment in our collective struggle for safety and justice for people impacted by sexual and domestic violence". 

“It is a win for those with lived experience of violence and abuse, many of whom have stood up and spoken about the psychological impacts of this most dangerous and damaging aspect of their experiences," she said. 

Disability advocates fear their sector could be at the centre of the next outbreak with many thousands still unable to access a shot. Across the nation, the demand for vaccines is so firece the New South Wales Health Minister has likened it to the Hunger Games. Giancarlo De Vera, People With Disability Australia, discusses.

We'd love you to get involved in our promotions as we build momentum for #NATSIChildrensDay2021 on 4 August! You can download activities for children and resources including our poster and social media tiles:https://t.co/lhSgKYXy0M#ProudInCulture #StrongInSpirit pic.twitter.com/Zc7lQxHK5q

— SNAICC (@SNAICC) June 30, 2021