National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is recognised annually from 27 May to 3 June.
The week provides an important opportunity for Australians to come together and learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements. It is a time to reflect on the past and explore ways we can contribute to a more inclusive future.
As a nation, we should consciously work towards reconciliation in all aspects of our lives. This will help us foster a society that values respectful relationships between non-Indigenous people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.
For more information about reconciliation efforts, please visit Reconciliation Australia's website. During National Reconciliation Week in 2024, many teams across UQ organised events for staff and students.
We invited them to explore reconciliation at UQ, view our events program below, and join us in supporting this important initiative and working towards a better Australia.
Theme – 'Bridging Now to Next'
'Bridging Now to Next' urges us to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.
At a time when Australia faces uncertainty in its reconciliation journey, this theme calls on all Australians to step forward together.
In the #NRW2025 theme artwork created by Kalkadoon woman Bree Buttenshaw, native plants − known for regenerating after fire and thriving through adversity − symbolise our collective strength and the possibilities of renewal. This is a time for growth, reflection, and commitment to walking together.
Australia’s history of reconciliation is not a linear one but one that includes both great strides and disappointing setbacks. Twenty-five years ago, Corroboree 2000 brought together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous leaders in a historic call for reconciliation. We continue that work in 2025, inviting all Australians to join us in 'Bridging Now to Next' – building a more united and respectful nation.
Corroboree 2000 and the Sydney Harbour Bridge walk were significant events in our long journey and our determination to continue that journey towards a reconciled Australia and justice for First Nations peoples is unstoppable.
Days of Significance
Lighting of Forgan Smith
Throughout National Reconciliation Week, UQ's Forgan Smith building was bathed in either red and yellow or green and blue to represent the colours of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.
Host a National Reconciliation Week event
Don’t miss your chance to submit an expression of interest (EOIs) to host a National Reconciliation Week (NRW) event. EOIs are open until Friday 4 April.
National Reconciliation Week is a chance for each of us to learn how we can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. UQ events should align with the 2025 theme, ‘Bridging Now to Next’, and can be in person, online, private or open to the public.
Once the final event program has been confirmed for NRW will be published on the UQ National Reconciliation Week webpage and form part of the official UQ NRW program.
Want to be involved but don't know where to start? Review the 2024 Program (below) for inspiration and submit your EOI today.
2024 Program
Student Central, St Lucia campus
Come experience the vibrant Blak Markets at Student Central! Explore and support Indigenous-owned market stalls, artists, and businesses while enjoying local Indigenous cookies. Don't miss the chance to participate in the cultural weaving workshop and immerse yourself in a celebration of Indigenous culture and creativity.
Saint Lucys, St Lucia Campus
Come along for a fun filled evening of Murri Trivia hosted in honour of National Reconciliation Week. Get a team of up to 6 people together and come along.
FULLY BOOKED.
Cental Walkway, Gatton campus
Amidst the study hustle, take a breather and broaden your cultural horizons with our Cultural Weaving Workshop. Relax and unwind as you yarn with your peers, weaving special mementos to cherish or share with loved ones.
UQ Art Museum, St Lucia campus
The exhibition highlights important contributions from Australian First Nations artists that ground the exhibition to the location where the UQ Art Museum stands, and also explore links and connections of reflection and solidarity across oceans. All artists in this exhibition engage with these themes in the context of their own connections to place. This exhibition offers poignant concepts for contemplation during this National Reconciliation Week, with timely learnings about the implications of colonisation for our natural resources and cultural histories.
Image: Rosella Namok Old Girls Yarning into the Night 2024. UQ Art Museum Window Commission, 2024. Courtesy of the artist and FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane. Photo: Joe Ruckli
Anthropology Museum, Level 1, Michie Building (9), St Lucia campus
Join us at the Museum for a special guided tour of the exhibition Voices of Our Elders, Aboriginal Story Tellers in conjunction with National Reconciliation Week from 12:00 to 12:30pm. Free and all welcome.
UQ Anthropology Museum presents a selection of photographic portraits, never seen before artworks and a newly commissioned documentary film in recognition of the Aboriginal people that have contributed to recording and maintaining history and culture of south east Queensland.
Learning Theatre (14-132), Sir Llew Edwards Building, St Lucia campus
This school seminar will showcase the work and activities of four Indigenous scholars working in university and non-university contexts. It draws on the fields of art, history, religion, philosophy and librarianship to illuminate relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of knowing.
BEL Student Base (level 1, Colin Clark), St Lucia campus
All staff and students are invited to show their support of reconciliation by contributing to our ‘Hand in Hand: Messages of Hope’ installation at BEL Student Base, level 1 Colin Clark Building. Write a pledge for change, a message of hope, or sign your name in solidarity on a paper hand (materials provided) and add it to the installation. This is a self-guided activity which can be completed anytime during Reconciliation Week.
UQ Poche Centre, High Street,Toowong
To kick off National Reconciliation Week, the UQ Poche Centre will be hosting a weaving circle led by the incredibly talented artist Carly Wallace, the creator of Durban Bagii.
This weaving circle will present a unique opportunity for participants to come together in an intimate setting, fostering connections and learning. Under Carly's guidance, participants will delve into basic coiling techniques and have the chance to create their very own woven masterpiece. Carly will share her personal story and journey behind her weaving practice, a tradition handed down to Carly from her elders and is a cultural practice she aims to keep alive by sharing her creations with people across Australia and the world.
Morning Tea will be provided.
Psychology Building, St Lucia campus &
Online via zoom
In this interactive 50 minute hybrid session attendees will have the opportunity to participate in five allyship actions for National Reconciliation Week (this year's theme: Now More Than Ever). Each action will be presented by a psychologist from the Social Change Lab and briefly discussed in terms of relevant psychological theory and research.
Online
The event will discuss Indigenous voices in media. It will look at the backlash from the Voice Referendum, and the racism indigenous people encountered. It will also discuss how we can ensure Indigenous female voices are heard in the halls of power and in media, considering the launch of the Wangi U Thangi Institute by departing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar.