NAIDOC Week marks 50 years of strength, vision, and legacy—but how do we turn celebration into lasting change in our health systems? In this episode of The Round Up, host A/Prof Elissa Hatherly is joined by Dr Shannon Springer, the incoming Clinical Lead for ATSICHS Mackay with experience in health education, and Dr Sarah Jane Springer, Senior Project Officer at CWAATSICH/QAIHC SEM and Director at Springer Health Consultants, to explore the deeper meaning of NAIDOC Week and the challenge of embedding cultural safety in everyday healthcare.

Together, they reflect on the evolution of NAIDOC Week—from a national protest to a proud movement of black excellence—and this year’s theme, “The Next Generation". They unpack what true cultural safety means in practice, and why the burden of advocacy must shift from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clinicians to the system itself.

Whether you’re a supervisor, student, or frontline clinician, this episode is a call to action to engage, reflect, and take responsibility for building a culturally safe health system.

Resources:

• Cairns NAIDOC Week: https://cairnsnaidoc.com/
• Townsville NAIDOC Week: https://www.townsvillenaidoc.com.au/
• Mackay NAIDOC Week:
  • https://www.mackay.qld.gov.au/community/community_programs/aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-information/aboriginal_and_torres_islander_significant_dates
  • https://www.facebook.com/NAIDOCMACKAY/
• Mount Isa NAIDOC Week: 2025 NAIDOC Week Celebrations - Mount Isa | Facebook
• National NAIDOC Week: https://www.naidoc.org.au/
• The History of NAIDOC Posters YouTube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdUNxd2EIwA