Facebook Australia has partnered with NAIDOC Week 2020 – the ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’ theme and features and tools will go live across Facebook and Instagram starting 8th of November.

Some of the features and tools that are launching are:

• Three new Instagram Stories stickers designed by Tyrown Waigana, the Noongar and Saibai Islander artist behind this year’s NAIDOC Week poster. 
• Four Stories templates designed by Nungala Creative, led by proud Warumungu / Wombaya woman Jessica Johnson. These templates encourage Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to connect with the Country they live on, and share the people and organisations that inspire them during NAIDOC Week.
• A new interactive Indigenous music library within the Facebook and Instagram music stickers called ‘Blak Australia’ to highlight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
• Top Indigenous creators will develop and share Instagram Guides focused on well-being and connecting to country. Guides are an upcoming feature currently testing with select creators around the world.

At the close of NAIDOC Week on the 14th of November, NAIDOC and NITV will share a Facebook livestream called ‘NAIDOC LIVE: Celebrating Blak Excellence’ hosted by First Nations entertainer Mitch Tambo. The show will feature performances and appearances from some of Australia’s top Indigenous talent including Archie Roach, Ash Barty, Kate (Konstantina) Constantine, Wayne Quilliam and many more. Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) ambassador Jessica Mauboy will also be sharing a world first XR video production that reimagines her song Butterfly. The livestream will utilise Facebook’s live donation tools to raise money for the ILF who gift and publish books in language for children in remote Australia.

In welcoming the partnership, National NAIDOC co-chair, John Paul Janke said it was an exciting opportunity to expand the reach and footprint of NAIDOC Week like never before: “Millions of Australians can now join in the celebrations via their social media, sharing this stunning content to their networks and thus engaging a whole new audience to our culture, achievement, history, aspirations and voices.”

Facebook Australia has published a commitment to Reconciliation that will be guided by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group. An ‘Instagram Creator Fellowship’ program is currently in development in partnership with Screen Australia for 2021. The program will identify up-and-coming Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander digital creators and provide them training, mentoring, career connections and content funding over a period of six months.

“Facebook is committed to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to celebrate culture, access education, and embrace their economic potential,” said Will Easton, vice president of Facebook Australia. “Our platforms can elevate community voices and share stories in unprecedented ways, and this partnership with NAIDOC will harness that power to bring Indigenous achievements and culture to Australians everywhere.”