Login
Login
National Reconciliation Week from 27 May to 3 June 2026, asks all of us to reflect on what reconciliation means in practice – not as an annual gesture, but as an ongoing daily commitment to justice, truth and shared responsibility.
For the social and community service sector in NSW, this work matters deeply. Every day, we see the strength, leadership and resilience of Aboriginal communities across the state. We also work alongside people and communities facing inequality, exclusion and systemic disadvantage.
This year’s Reconciliation Week theme “All In” reminds us that reconciliation is shaped by relationships – between governments and communities, between organisations and the people they serve, and between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. Strong relationships and change require empathy, trust and accountability. They also require action, not just sitting on the sidelines.
Across NSW, Aboriginal organisations continue to lead extraordinary work in community care, family support, housing, legal services, health and healing. Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) have long demonstrated what culturally-safe, community-led services look like. The broader sector has much to learn from that leadership.
At the same time, we know the systems many people rely on are still falling short. Aboriginal children remain significantly overrepresented in out-of-home care. Aboriginal people continue to experience poorer health outcomes, higher rates of incarceration and barriers to housing and economic security. These are not new problems, and they will only be solved through structural change.
That is why reconciliation must include a genuine commitment to self-determination. Aboriginal communities must be the leading voice in the policies and services that affect them. Governments and institutions need to back Aboriginal leadership with long-term investment, decision-making power and accountability.
For non-Aboriginal organisations, reconciliation also means looking inward. It means asking difficult questions about whose voices are heard, who holds power, and whether our workplaces, services and advocacy truly reflect the communities we work with. There is also a responsibility on all of us to speak up when public debate becomes divisive or harmful. The social and community service sector has always played a role in defending dignity, fairness and inclusion. That responsibility extends to standing with Aboriginal communities, particularly when racism and misinformation threaten progress.
Reconciliation belongs to all of us, and at NCOSS, we’re all in.
As a sector grounded in community, compassion and social justice, we have both an opportunity and an obligation to help build a NSW where Aboriginal people, families and communities can thrive on their own terms. That work continues well beyond a single week in the calendar.
Get involved:
Find community walks, cultural workshops, art curations and live music at the Reconciliation Australia events calendar.
Listen
Blak Hits for Kids. Curated by Alethea Beetson, it’s one of my fav playlists and a collection of fun First Nations tracks for the whole family.
The Voices for Reconciliation 2026 song is Midnight Oil’s classic Beds Are Burning. Reconciliation Australia is calling on choirs across the country to come together in song to contribute to National Reconciliation Week 2026.