AbSec – NSW Child, Family and Community Peak Aboriginal Corporation – acknowledges Survival Day on January 26th as a day of profound meaning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia. It is a day for remembrance, resilience and the ongoing fight for justice and selfdetermination in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities. AbSec’s message is clear: this is a day to remember those lost to the invasion of our lands, to honour the strength and survival of our ancestors, and to stand together in solidarity as we continue to resist the ongoing legacy of colonialism. This legacy continues to impact our families and communities today, particularly through the over-representation of Aboriginal children in all aspects of the child protection system, especially out-of-home care, and the urgent need for investment in Aboriginal-led supports that keep our children connected to culture, family, and Country. AbSec CEO John Leha said: “Survival Day is about acknowledging the colonisation of our lands, the pain our people have endured, and the extraordinary resilience that has kept our culture alive for over 65,000 years. This day unites Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, our allies, and organisationsto change the story – from one of erasure to one of survival, resistance and strength.”
Standing together: Ways to engage on Survival Day AbSec’s Learning and Development Centre (LDC) will host a Survival Day webinar exploring how to elevate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s leadership, assess cultural safety and move from symbolic recognition to systemic change. The webinar will support organisations to link Survival Day reflection to meaningful Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) commitments.
This year’s Survival Day theme, “Her Story – Matriarchs”, centres on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women whose leadership, spirituality and strength have sustained culture, family, and community across generations. Culture has survived because women carried it. As organisations reflect on reconciliation commitments, we must ask: Are we walking alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, or speaking over them?
Register for free to attend the 2026 Survival Day webinar at: www.absecldc.org.au/event/survival-day/
The Yabun Festival, held annually on the lands of the Gadigal People, provides a vital and powerful space for truth-telling and cultural celebration. Held on 26 January at Victoria Park, Camperdown on Gadigal Country from 10am to 7pm, Yabun is Australia’s largest community-led celebration of First Nations cultures, showcasing diversity and vibrancy through traditional and contemporary music, dance, panel discussions, workshops, markets and community activations.
“Yabun and other Survival Day gatherings are acts of resistance and affirmation,” Mr Leha said. “They remind us that despite violent colonisation, our people have endured. Our cultures are strong and vibrant, and we will continue to fight for justice and self-determination, especially for our children that are failed by systems that were never designed for them. Until these systems change, our children, families and communities cannot truly thrive.”
Proudly presented by Gadigal Information Service and 100% Aboriginal-owned and led, Yabun carries forward the legacy of the early Survival Day events of the 1990s. In 2025, an estimated 65,000 people attended, with thousands more tuning in via livestream.
More information is available at: https://yabun.org.au/
AbSec will continue to work passionately around our vision: that all Aboriginal children and young people are looked after in safe, thriving Aboriginal families and communities, raised strong in spirit and identity, with every opportunity for lifelong wellbeing and connection to culture, and surrounded by holistic supports. This vision drives everything we do, and Survival Day reminds us why this work is so critical.
About AbSec
AbSec is the peak Aboriginal organisation in NSW dedicated to empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by advocating for the rights, safety, and wellbeing of our children, young people and families. We build strength and resilience by supporting community-led solutions, shaping policy, and driving reforms that ensure every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child and young person grows up strong in culture and identity.
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