Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community

National Reconciliation Week is celebrated across Australia each year between 27 May and 3 June. The dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey:

• 27 May 1967 was the date of Australia’s most successful referendum and a defining event in our nation’s history. The 1967 referendum saw over 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognise them in the national census.

• 3 June 1992 is when the High Court of Australia delivered its landmark Mabo decision which legally recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a special relationship to the land—that existed prior to colonalisation and still exists today. This recognition paved the way for land rights called Native Title.

National Reconciliation Week is a time for our community to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and to explore how each of us can join the national reconciliation effort. 

NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to learn more about the world's oldest continuing living cultures.

Port Macquarie Hastings Council is proud to support NAIDOC Week and the local community-led celebrations held across the Hastings. Each year, Council works alongside the Hastings NAIDOC Week organising committee and other community partners to help support events and activities that bring our community together.

Council's support may include in-kind assistance, venue support, event partnerships and funding through our Community Grants Program, where applicable.

For information about current NAIDOC Week events and activities, visit the Hastings NAIDOC Week Facebook page.

If you're interested in applying for funding to support a community project or event, visit our Community Grants page to learn more about available grant opportunities.

We acknowledge that local government boundaries do not attempt to define traditional boundaries. Our local council area has four Aboriginal representative bodies under the Land Rights Act 1983: