First Nations First

The Acknowledgement of Country has been translated into 40 languages as part of a project led by Dr Elaine Laforteza. She explains how it started and the vision for what comes next.

The federal government has released its latest report card on its Closing the Gap targets, which are meant to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. The data shows just four of the 19 targets are on track. Anthony Albanese has used his annual closing the gap speech on Thursday to announce a $144 million boost to Indigenous health to upgrade more than 100 services in cities and regional areas...

The Federal Government has launched a landmark $218 million national plan to end violence against First Nations women and children. It marks the first long-term strategy designed and led entirely by Indigenous communities. While the policy targets specialised healing and emergency services in remote areas, community leaders warn that real change also requires confronting the systemic racism and hi...

A powerful exhibition featuring photographs and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability has been called a milestone for inclusion and representation. First exhibited at the United Nations in Geneva more than a decade ago, it's now being shown again on home soil in its most accessible format.

This week a treaty between Victoria and the state's First Nations people became law. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria co-chairs Ngarra Murray and Rueben Berg signed the treaty at a formal ceremony at Government House on Thursday morning. Kerri-Lee Barry from SBS' NITV Radio has spoken with UNSW Law & Justice Associate Professor, Dr Harry Hobbs, about the histori...

A young volunteer for a football club in central Victoria has won the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (NATSI) Sports Awards this year. April Le Sueur has been volunteering at the Rumbalara Football and Netball Club in the Victorian town of Shepparton. She's also the AFL Young Leader of the Year.

It's been hailed as a moment centuries in the making: the signing of Australia's first ever state-wide treaty with Aboriginal people, described as something once thought impossible. The Australian-first treaty will take effect just before Christmas but will not be up and running until mid-2026. And for both sides signing the pact in Victoria, there's recognition of more hard work that needs to be...

Professor Michael Wear, a Malgana Traditional Custodian from Shark Bay, has been honoured at the 26th Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science for his groundbreaking work uniting Indigenous knowledge and marine science. He is the inaugural winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems. Through his company Tidal Moon, Professor Wear is leading a world-f...

Thousands of Indigenous households across northern Australia live with prepaid power, where disconnection can happen at any moment. Now a new report has warned that without stronger protections, the system could turn deadly in extreme heat. SBS’s Christopher Tan travelled to the Kimberley to see what life is like when power is a privilege, not a guarantee.

Traditional owners in far north Queensland are calling for an iconic saltwater crocodile to be returned to country. The croc, named 'Old Faithful', featured in the Crocodile Hunter series alongside the late Steve Irwin - but he's been re-homed far from his natural habitat following concerns over aggressive behaviour.

State and territory governments in Australia will face scrutiny as part of a parliamentary inquiry on the outcomes and impacts of youth incarceration. The over-incarceration of First Nations children will also be a key focus.

A not for profit organisation says almost half of Indigenous communities living cut off from the world face extinction within the decade due to logging, mining and tourism. Survival International says they want the world - especially governments and industries - to recognise and address the problem as a global emergency.

Victoria's First Nations community is celebrating a historic milestone - legislation to establish the first treaty in Australia's history passed through state parliament on Thursday night. It's expected to enter force by the end of the year, after an official signing ceremony and royal assent from Victoria's governor, in the culmination of a whole decade of negotiations. The legislation establishe...

After almost a decade of activism and community efforts, Victoria has passed Australia's first ever treaty legislation establishing a permanent Indigenous representative body in the state parliament. The landmark agreement between the Victorian Government and the First People's Assembly of Victoria marks a historic step towards recognising and reckoning with Victoria's violent colonial history.

The Western Australian Governor has apologised for his predecessor's role in a state-led violent attack against Noongar men, women and children almost 200 years ago, known as the Pinjarra massacre. Descendants of the Bindjareb Noongar people received the long-awaited apology saying it is a meaningful step towards reconciliation.

Anangu traditional owners have marked 40 years since Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park was handed back to their people. The handback was a landmark moment for Aboriginal land rights in Australia and a powerful recognition of the enduring connection between First Nations peoples and Country. The official celebrations have included a trip to London for a delegation of nine Anangu traditional owners, wh...

Diwali is the biggest festival in India and many South Asian countries, marking the victory of good over evil and the triumph of light over darkness. It is celebrated by more than a billion people around the world, including diaspora communities in Australia.

The Victorian Government is debating a historic Statewide Treaty Bill, establishing Australia's first ever Treaty agreement between a state government and First Peoples in Victoria. If signed into law, the Treaty Bill will forge a path forward for First Peoples in Victoria to negotiate and influence the policy that affects community.

A new report is calling for a national database on miscarriage to address ongoing invisibility around miscarriage and early pregnancy loss in Australia, particularly for First Nations women and in rural and regional communities. This comes as the government announced a $9.5 million funding package in May last year to improve awareness and support for early pregnancy loss.

Nearly two years after the failed referendum saw a First Nations voice to parliament shot down, some NGOs and state governments have been taking the initiative to follow the wishes of the majority of Indigenous communities in Australia who voted for this special representation. Australia's principal non-government organisation for public health, the Public Health Association of Australia, has anno...

This weekend will see the largest annual gathering of Indigenous people in the country at the New South Wales Koori knockout rugby league tournament. It's a sporting competition... but also, so much more.

The Public Health Association of Australia has announced they will be establishing an Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islander voice to help guide their work after a near unanimous vote by their members. Nearly two years after the failed referendum saw a First Nations voice to parliament shot down, NGOs like the PHAA and state governments have chosen to follow the wishes of the majority of Indigenous...

A group of young First Nations men and women have blazed their way through a training program for firefighter hopefuls. The initiative is a partnership between TAFE and the New South Wales Fire Service - to help young Indigenous people get into their dream job.

South Australia's algal bloom continues to spread, leading to significant environmental, ecological and mental health harm. Those impacts have been heard at a Senate inquiry examining support arrangements for those affected, but also long-term prevention strategies.

The Northern Territory has been engulfed by significant backlash regarding the sentencing of a driver who fatally struck an Aboriginal man in a hit and run and his familial connection to the Territory's Attorney General. First Nations communities and legal experts argue the sentence given to Jake Danby, a 12-month community corrections order, is inconsistent with the 'tough on crime' approach of t...