As the year gets underway, we highlight some of the campaigns we are supporting, as well as the many events in Canberra highlighting First Nations experiences. In particular, see the events coming up as part of the ACT Heritage Festival in April and May.
With no resolution for our previous email service, we have created a gmail address: antaract99@gmail.com. Please use this if you need to get in touch with us. Apologies for the difficulties contacting us over the past few months.
ANTaR ACT Organising Group
The next meeting of the ANTaR ACT organising group will be at 6pm on Monday 13 April, in person at the Friends Meeting House, corner of Bent and Condamine Streets, Turner. If you would like to join us and be involved in our ongoing advocacy and actions, please contact us at antaract99@gmail.com.
ANTaR ACT is pleased to be supporting the Refugees Action Campaign – Palm Sunday Rally: 1pm on 29 March in Civic Square. Following on from our advocacy for First Nations people, we stand with others who are marginalised and disadvantaged by racism in our society. Please join us to show our support for refugees, for fairness and humanity. For more information see: https://refugeeaction.org/20260218/palm-sunday-rally-refugees-and-migrants-welcome-here/.
ANTaR ACT has also been following the Conservation Council ACT campaign regarding the Western Edge, with a focus on the importance of the area as a place of ancient Ngunnawal cultural heritage and custodianship, including many occupation sites and pathways for trading and ceremony. On Tuesday 24 March at 1.30, there is a a rally outside the Legislative Assembly followed by entry to Question Time to directly ask the Planning Minister: will you keep Canberra’s Western Edge outside the urban boundary to save it from unsustainable, unaffordable and dangerous urban sprawl? For more information see: https://conservationcouncil.org.au/western-edge/.
Cultural Safety in the ACT Public Service
Last Friday local ABC TV news featured former head of the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs in the ACT Government, Brendan Moyle, calling for a Board of Inquiry on Cultural Safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in the ACT Public Service. See: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-06/act-public-servant-calls-for-inquiry-treatment-indigenous-staff/106420128. This reflects his own very recent experience of trying to progress the Closing the Gap targets in the ACT, and the agreement which the ACT Government has with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body. There has also been reporting in the Canberra Times: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9192647/brendan-moyle-concerns-referred-to-act-public-safety-commissioner/ (paywall).
A report Truth Through Transparency released late last year by the Elected Body shows that of 10 areas of focus in their Agreement with the ACT Government, only one is making any progress. Similarly, the ACT is still well behind in terms of reaching the Closing the Gap targets. We are going backwards in some areas, particularly incarceration, youth justice and housing. ANTaR ACT believes that outcomes won’t change until the racism, indifference, and active resistance in parts of the ACT Public Service, which are clearly hindering efforts at Closing the Gap, are transformed.
Events
Yuma Day
Saturday 14 March, Yarramundi Cultural Centre
At Yuma Day, the Yerrabi Yurwang Child & Family Aboriginal Corporation will welcome 40+ organisations and community groups to Yerramundi Cultural Centre for a full day of activities, culture and family fun. For more information see: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FmSsEAQe1/.
Close The Gap Day and Campaign Report Launch: Community Voices: The Pathway to Justice, Equality and Healing
Thursday 19 March, 12.20pm, online
Join the Close The Gap campaign for the launch of the 2026 Close The Gap Report. For more information and to register, see: https://closethegap.org.au/ .
Harvest Day Out 2026
Saturday 21 March, Lanyon Homestead
Enjoy live music, browse vibrant market stalls, and keep the whole family entertained with activities designed for all ages. For the full program, see: https://www.historicplaces.com.au/events/harvest-day-out-2026.
Events with a focus on First Nations culture include:
- Beginner Bracelet Weaving: Join Aboriginal fibre artist Jessika Spencer (Ngurru) for a relaxed bracelet weaving workshop designed especially for beginners. For bookings (cost involved): https://events.humanitix.com/cultural-workshop-beginner-bracelet-weaving-hdo-26
- Traditional Plant Use and Bush Foods: Join Ngunawal Traditional Custodian Tyronne Bell as he shares his cultural knowledge of traditional Aboriginal plant use. For bookings (cost involved): https://events.humanitix.com/cultural-talk-traditional-plant-use-and-bush-foods-hdo-26
Wellbeing and Indigenous Rights
Tuesday 31 March, 12.30-1.30, Seminar Room 1.04, Coombs Extension Building, 8 Fellows Road ANU or by Zoom
Nicholas Drake is a New Zealand philosopher, from the tribe Ngāi Tahu. He will talk about his previous research on measuring and promoting wellbeing and his current work on Indigenous rights and the resource industry.
For more information, and to register if attending by Zoom, see: https://regnet.anu.edu.au/event/wellbeing-and-indigenous-rights.
Art Steps by Naminapu Maymuru-White
Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 April and Monday 13 – Wednesday 15 April, 10.30am – 2pm, Gallery 12, National Gallery of Australia
Art Steps is a series of creative making activities produced by artists for children to enjoy with family and friends. In this Art Steps, Naminapu invites children to listen to the Milŋiyawuy dawu (Milky Way story) and learn about the Milŋiya river. Create shadow puppets, thinking about the dark spaces between the stars, and share stories about loved ones.
Free, drop-on event, no bookings but limit on capacity. For more information, see: https://nga.gov.au/events/art-steps-by-naminapu-maymuru-white/.
Smith’s@Belco: Mitch Tambo with Voice of Lele
Saturday 25 April, 7pm, Belconnen Arts Centre
Mitch Tambo is hitting the stage, and he’s bringing the kind of energy that turns an ordinary night into a full-blown celebration. A genre-bending trailblazer, Mitch fuses contemporary world music with traditional Gamilaraay language, dance, and culture, creating a live experience that’s as uplifting as it is unforgettable.
For more information and bookings: https://www.belcoarts.com.au/mitch-tambo/.
ACT Heritage Festival
The 43rd Canberra and Region Heritage Festival will run from 11 April to 10 May 2026, featuring more than 150 events across the region including guided walks, tours of iconic buildings, exhibitions, food experiences and more. Below are details of events focussing on First Nations experiences. For the full list of events, see: https://www.environment.act.gov.au/heritage/heritage-festival.
Voices Through Time
Saturday 11 April, 10am – 12noon, Civic Library
Us Mob Writers — Voices Through Time is a poetry event celebrating First Nations voices across generations. It will feature readings from foundational poets of the late 1960s era through contemporary writers, including work from Us Mob Writers highlighting cultural continuity, resilience, and progress.
In addition to the poetry readings, the event will include a Community Poetry Writing Workshop. This interactive session invites participants to create their own poems inspired by themes of heritage, resilience, and cultural continuity. Guided by experienced First Nations poets, the workshop will provide a culturally safe space for creative expression and learning.
Free event but bookings essential: https://www.environment.act.gov.au/heritage/heritage-festival/nested-content/event-details?eventId=2991546
Discover the Richness of Ngunawal Language: Children’s Session
Wednesday 15 April, 10am-11am, Civic Library
Join the Winanggaay Ngunnawal Language Aboriginal Corporation for a special children’s event where children aged 5-12 can learn Ngunawal greetings and children’s songs! Enjoy this engaging workshop celebrating the richness of Ngunawal language and culture.
Free event but bookings essential: https://www.environment.act.gov.au/heritage/heritage-festival/nested-content/event-details?eventId=2985000
Spear Throwing
Wednesday 15 April 10am and Thursday 16 April 1pm, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Would you like to master the art of throwing a spear? Join our Aboriginal rangers as they provide a spear and boomerang throwing demonstration. After, you’ll be given the opportunity to have a go to test your own skills!
Free events (reserve entry fee applies) but bookings essential: https://www.environment.act.gov.au/heritage/heritage-festival/nested-content/event-details?eventId=2986664
Deadly Tools and Weapons
Wednesday 15 April 1.30pm and Thursday 16 April 10am, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Come and learn about our first inventions! Meet our Aboriginal rangers, try some bush tea, and join in on a hands-on activity learning about traditional weapons and tools.
Free events (reserve entry fee applies) but bookings essential: https://www.environment.act.gov.au/heritage/heritage-festival/nested-content/event-details?eventId=2986697
Ngunawal and National Capital Stories of Black Mountain
Friday 17 April, 9.30am and 1.30pm, Black Mountain Nature Reserve
Black Mountain stands as a timeless landmark, shaping the Aboriginal and national capital landscape from deep time to today. Join Wally Bell, Ngunawal Elder, and Mark Butz, history researcher and writer, as they bring the mountain’s stories to life exploring its rich Aboriginal, historic and natural heritage.
Free events but bookings essential: https://www.environment.act.gov.au/heritage/heritage-festival/nested-content/event-details?eventId=2987448
Coolamons by the Water: A Weaving Gathering at Lake Ginninderra
Saturday 18 April, Sunday 19 April, Monday 20 April, 1pm, Lake Ginninderra
Join Wiradjuri fibre artist Jessika Spencer (Ngurru) for a hands on coolamon weaving workshop set on the waterfront edges of Lake Ginninderra. In this immersive cultural experience, participants will learn the foundations of coolamon weaving using natural bush fibres and contemporary sustainable materials.
Bookings essential, cost applies: https://www.environment.act.gov.au/heritage/heritage-festival/nested-content/event-details?eventId=2991582
Discover the Richness of Ngunnawal Language
Sunday 3 May, 10am – 12noon, Civic Library
Join members of the Winanggaay Ngunnawal Language Aboriginal Corporation for a special community event to learn Ngunawal greetings and children’s songs. Enjoy this engaging workshop celebrating the richness of Ngunawal language and culture.
Free event but bookings essential: https://www.environment.act.gov.au/heritage/heritage-festival/nested-content/event-details?eventId=2985052
On Country Boat Tour with Richie Allan
Sunday 3 May, 9.30am and 11.30am, National Capital Authority, Commonwealth Place, Parkes
Join Ngunnawal man Richie Allan for a boat tour along Lake Burley Griffin. Richie will share how Ngunnawal people lived by shores of The Molonglo River. The Ngunnawal maintained Country enjoying a resource rich location. Richie will discuss important hunting and fishing locations as well as precise sites for the collection of ochre and stone tools.
Bookings essential, cost applies: https://www.environment.act.gov.au/heritage/heritage-festival/nested-content/event-details?eventId=2991253
Yankee Hat Aboriginal Rock Art Site Walk
Sunday 10 May, 10am-1pm, Yankee Hat Walking Track, Namadgi National Park
Join a Ngunnawal guide on the Yankee Hat Walk in Namadgi National Park. Stroll through expansive grasslands and mountain views dotted with kangaroos to the Yankee Hat shelter to view Aboriginal rock art. This is a 6.5km (3 hour) return walk with moderate fitness required.
Free event but bookings essential: https://www.environment.act.gov.au/heritage/heritage-festival/nested-content/event-details?eventId=2991210
Exhibitions
5th National Indigenous Art Triennial: After the Rain
To Sunday 26 April 2026, Level 1, Gallery 12, National Gallery of Australia
After the rain there are always new beginnings.
The 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial, After the Rain, features 10 large-scale, immersive and multi-disciplinary installations that celebrate inter-generational legacies and cultural warriors of the past, present and future.
The Triennial brings together commissioned work by established and emerging First Nations artists from across Australia, creating an important platform for art and ideas.
Each iteration of the Triennial is led by a First Nations curator with an original vision.
Artistic Director for the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial is Tony Albert, Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji peoples, one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists.
Albert weaves together projects by Alair Pambegan, Aretha Brown, Blaklash, Dylan Mooney, Hermannsburg Potters, Iltja Ntjarra Art Centre and Vincent Namatjira, Jimmy John Thaiday, Naminapu Maymuru-White, Thea Anamara Perkins, Yarrenyty Arltere Artists and Grace Kemarre Robinya, and Warraba Weatherall to tell stories through the universal language of visual art.
For more information, see: https://nga.gov.au/exhibitions/fifth-national-indigenous-art-triennial/
Other First Nations exhibitions at the National Gallery
The National Gallery of Australia has an extensive collection of works by First Nations artists. In addition to the exhibitions mentioned above, other displays celebrating First Nations art and culture include:
Hermannsburg: The Hermannsburg School is an art movement pioneered by Western Arrarnta artist Albert Namatjira (1902–1959). This exhibition displays works by Namatjira, including painted spearthrowers, alongside watercolours by family members including sons Enos and Ewald Namatjira, son-in-law Benjamin Landara, and brother-in-law and ‘breakaway’ painter Otto Pareroultja. Ceramics by Judith Pungarta Inkamala, who grew up watching Namatjira paint, are displayed alongside pots by Carol Panangka Rontji, demonstrating the stylistic evolutions of the Hermannsburg School.
Featured works emphasise artists’ connections to Country and the diversity embedded within this landscape—from airy, tree-lined vistas to red, rocky escarpments and gorges. Finishes Sunday 23 August.
Ngura Puḻka – Epic Country: Ngura Puḻka – Epic Country is an artist-led project, showcasing major works by senior First Nations artists and collectives from the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, Coober Pedy and Tarntanya/Adelaide, in South Australia. These ambitious works depict Country while celebrating the powerful Tjukurpa (Aṉangu law/cultural stories) that lies within. Opens 11 April, finishes Sunday 23 August.
ANTaR ACT acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which Canberra is situated, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region. We also acknowledge other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who may visit this area.