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First Australians

The National Library of Australia acknowledges First Australians as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and pays respect to Elders – past and present – and through them to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Shared stories

An man sits in an empty grandstand

Image courtesy Anne Algar

Deadly Dialogues: Bringing Them Home Oration with Kutcha Edwards
06 Aug 2025

Kutcha Edwards delivers the inaugural Bringing Them Home Oration.

Event
First Australians
Deadly dialogues
Talks and ideas
Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue sitting in an armchair and smiling

Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue, image by Leanna King, courtesy of the Lowitja Institute

Speeches of Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue now available online
04 Feb 2025

The Library has recently digitised the speeches of Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG.

News article
First Nations art on a purple background
Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property

We have developed an Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) Protocol to guide people on how to access and use ICIP in our collections.

First Australians
Four framed pictures hanging on a wall that has an image of an island on it.
Mabo v Queensland (No. 2): 30th Anniversary
Daily

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Mabo decision, the Library invited Gail Mabo, Eddie’s daughter, to select material for display to mark this landmark moment in Australian legal history.

Exhibition
First Australians
Assistance animals icon Assistance animals icon
Assistance animals welcome
Wheelchair icon Wheelchair icon
Wheelchair accessible
Six women smiling as they play football. One has just kicked the ball.

Darren Clark, The Stronger Sisters playing football at the Tennant Creek football Grand Final, 2011, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-152960442

In our collections

Find out more about First Australians content in our collections

A man and a woman sit in chairs on stage with a picture of a campfire behind them. The woman holds a microphone and the man is speaking into a microphone.

Joe Williams and Dr Alethea Beetson in conversation as part of our Deadly Dialogues series.

Events

See previous events and programs, many with recordings available

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