This NAIDOC Week, Shelter NSW supports the call to Heal Country!

Since 1975, Shelter NSW has been fighting for a fairer housing system for the people of NSW. 1975 was the same year that PM Gough Whitlam handed back land title to the Gurindji people, yet nearly 50 years later, the push for structural and institutional reform still has a long way to go.

This NAIDOC Week, we echo the call for greater protections for the land, water, sacred sites, and cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We recognise and celebrate the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across NSW and Australia who have not just fought for better housing, but for the fundamental rights to their land, water, culture, and country since colonisation first began.

Shelter NSW is committed to continuing the fight for structural reform to strengthen land rights for Indigenous communities and ensure that everyone is able to build safe, secure homes and communities. We are committed to championing the Uluru Statement from the Heart within our organisation and our networks, and to working with Indigenous communities and organisations across NSW to build a stronger housing system together.

This NAIDOC Week is a moment to celebrate the incredible connection to Country that is held by all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and recognise their ongoing sovereignty over these lands and waters on which we live and work. We pay respects to the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, on whose land we are based, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal people, past and present, across NSW and Australia.