Visionary leaders honored at National NAIDOC Week Awards

Aunty Rhoda Roberts AO, an Indigenous trailblazer celebrated for her role in guiding Australia's most iconic creative festivals, was posthumously honored at the National NAIDOC Week Awards. The ceremony, held on Arrernte Country in Alice Springs, recognized Roberts with the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Rhoda Roberts AO was a force, fearless, brilliant and deeply committed to community and culture. Her legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.

Organizers described the annual event as a platform to showcase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander excellence and acknowledge the nation's 65,000-year history. Roberts, who passed away earlier this year after a battle with ovarian cancer, was lauded by judges for "elevating First Nations voices through storytelling, performance, creative direction and cultural leadership." They noted her influence in transforming Australia's artistic landscape through her work with festivals like Garma and Parrtjima, calling her "a visionary cultural leader."

National NAIDOC committee co-chair Aunty Lynette Riley described Roberts as "a force, fearless, brilliant and deeply committed to community and culture." Professor Riley added, "Her legacy will continue to inspire generations to come." Steven Satour, the committee's other co-chair, stated that Roberts "embodied" this year's NAIDOC theme, "50 Years of Deadly," by demonstrating that Indigenous stories belong in all public spheres.

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She showed our people that our stories belong everywhere, on stages, screens, in institutions and in the national conversation. This recognition honours a lifetime of cultural leadership and the extraordinary legacy she leaves behind.

Roberts was one of seven individuals and three groups honored at the event. The 2026 Person of the Year award went to Aunty Pat Turner AO, a highly respected Aboriginal leader with over 50 years of dedication to advancing the rights, wellbeing, and self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Her career includes significant public service roles, national policy reform, and high-level community leadership. As she enters retirement, Turner leaves a legacy of "transformational leadership, lifelong service and enduring impact."

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Pat Turner AO is one of Australia's most respected Aboriginal leaders, with more than 50 years dedicated to advancing the rights, wellbeing and self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.