03/08/2026
👣National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day 2026
Today, 4 August, on National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day, we celebrate the heart of our communities—our children.
Every child carries the stories of those who came before them and the hope of those yet to come. They are our future leaders, artists, educators, athletes, Elders, knowledge keepers, and changemakers. They deserve to grow up knowing exactly who they are, where they come from, and that they belong.
Children’s Day has been celebrated every year on 4 August since 1988. It was created during a time when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices were standing strong for justice, recognition, and the future of our young people. The date also carries deep significance, as 4 August was once used as a shared birthday for many children of the Stolen Generations who were separated from their families and never knew their true birth date.
Today, we honour that history while celebrating the strength, resilience, and limitless potential of our children.
This year’s theme, “Living Our Truth,” reminds us that our stories matter. Our languages matter. Our cultures matter. Truth-telling isn’t about living in the past—it’s about honouring our ancestors, sharing knowledge across generations, and ensuring our children grow up proud of who they are.
As a proud Kabi Kabi woman, days like today remind me why community is so important. It takes all of us—parents, grandparents, Aunties, Uncles, Elders, teachers, mentors, and community members—to nurture, guide, and encourage our young people. Every act of kindness, every story shared, every dance, every song, every lesson on Country, and every opportunity we create becomes part of the foundation they stand on.
I am deeply committed to pouring into our children and young people because they are our future.
One day, when the time is right, they will rise and take their place alongside the generations before them. They will become our leaders, our teachers, our storytellers, our innovators, and the voices that continue carrying our culture forward.
I strive to give our children the very best head start because I know I can only go so far. I don’t want our young people to begin where I began, just as I didn’t have to begin where our Elders began. Every generation deserves the opportunity to start a little further ahead than the last.
That is the legacy I want to leave.
I often say that I want to be the rooftop our children begin from.
I want them to stand on my shoulders, see further than I ever could, dream bigger than I ever imagined, and accomplish things beyond my lifetime. If I can help build that foundation—through encouragement, opportunity, cultural pride, and genuine belief in their potential—then I know I’ve done my part.
Our responsibility isn’t simply to prepare children for the future. Our responsibility is to build a future where they know exactly who they are, where they come from, and that they can walk proudly in both worlds without ever compromising their identity.
Our children are our greatest investment. Every moment we spend encouraging them, listening to them, teaching them, believing in them, and creating safe spaces for them plants seeds that will continue to grow for generations to come.
To our children:
May you always know your worth.
May you always walk proudly in your identity.
May you always feel connected to your family, your community, your culture, and your Country.
May you never doubt that your voice matters.
May your dreams be bigger than ours, your opportunities greater than ours, and your future brighter because of the foundations we laid before you.
Today, we celebrate your laughter, your curiosity, your resilience, your strength, and your dreams.
Because every little footprint leaves a path toward a brighter future.
May we never stop investing in our children, because one day they will carry our stories forward.
🖤💛❤️💚💙🤍
