THE CONFERENCE
The 2026 National Indigenous Black Death in Custody Conference, held on 12–14 August 2026 on Larrakia Country in Darwin, Northern Territory, is one of Australia’s most significant gatherings dedicated to truth-telling, justice, and systemic reform. The conference honours the resilience of families whose loved ones never returned home, placing their grief and stories at the centre of national dialogue. It provides a culturally grounded space for healing, learning, and collective action, where ceremony, yarning, and evidence-based discussion guide the path forward. Families, Elders, Indigenous leaders, legal and health professionals, policymakers, and advocates will come together to face the realities of policing, corrections, coronial processes, and systemic failures that continue to take Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives in custody. Through yarning circles, evidence-based dialogue, and community-led solutions, the conference amplifies Indigenous voices, honours cultural wisdom, and charts a path for urgent, meaningful change in justice, health, and custodial systems. As Australia’s leading national forum on this crisis, the conference demands accountability, challenges institutions to act with integrity, and mobilises coordinated national action. It equips families, advocates, and frontline workers with knowledge, tools, and networks to turn grief into justice, ensuring culture leads reform. Above all, it is a call to the nation: to heal, to act, and to create a future where no more Indigenous lives are lost in custody.
CONFERENCE PHILOSOPHY & AIMS
The 2026 National Indigenous Black Death in Custody Conference is guided by a philosophy that places families and communities at the heart of justice. It seeks to centre the voices and lived experiences of those directly affected, while promoting culturally grounded, community-led solutions to prevent harm and protect lives. The conference champions transparency, oversight, and institutional accountability, fostering cross-sector collaboration across policing, corrections, health, and legal systems. By creating culturally safe spaces for dialogue, truth-telling, and healing, it drives momentum toward long-overdue justice and systemic reform, ensuring that the perspectives, knowledge, and resilience of Indigenous communities shape the future of policy, practice, and advocacy.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
The conference is open to everyone dedicated to improving disability care, inclusion, and cultural safety across Australia. It brings together First Nations people with disability, their families, carers, community leaders, Elders, and Traditional Owners who are passionate about creating meaningful change. The conference also welcomes NDIS providers, health and allied health professionals, mental health practitioners, policy makers, educators, researchers, and government representatives committed to building culturally safe and responsive systems. It is an essential gathering for community organisations, advocates, and emerging leaders seeking to strengthen partnerships, share knowledge, and drive reform within the disability sector. Whether you work in service delivery, policy, education, or advocacy, this conference offers a powerful space to connect, learn, and collaborate toward a future where every First Nations person living with disability is empowered to live strong, independent, and proud—grounded in culture, community, and belonging.
YOUR INVITATION
We wish to invite Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from Australia and throughout, to attend the conference to share and gather information. We also extend an invitation to participants to join us at the conference dinner in a relaxed atmosphere. To ensure that delegates attend and participate in the conference experience, it is important to note that to show accountability of delegates in meeting their obligation; each delegate will receive a Certificate of Attendance only when they attend 85% of all the conference sessions. In addition, at the end of the conference, delegates will receive a copy of all papers & presentations presented at the conference through Dropbox.
