Indigenous Week at La Trobe University is a time to celebrate, recognise and engage with the diverse cultures, knowledges and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across our campuses.

Held each August, this week reflects La Trobe’s ongoing commitment to truth-telling, reconciliation and embedding Indigenous perspectives throughout the university community.

This week is not just a series of events; it’s about sharing and connection to community, Country and culture. All members of the La Trobe community, including students, are invited to listen deeply, walk alongside, participate in activities, share a meal and contribute to a culturally respectful and inclusive university environment.

Why it matters

Sue Tuitupou, Cultural Capabilities Facilitator with the Office of Indigenous Strategy and Education (Jimbeyer Boondjhil Indigenous Unit), shares her reflections on the significance of Indigenous Week and why it matters:

“Indigenous Week is a culturally grounded, strengths-based Indigenous Week program that brings staff, students and community together,” Sue Tuitupou, Cultural Capabilities Facilitator with the Office of Indigenous Strategy and Education, Jimbeyer Boondjhil Indigenous Unit, Bendigo Campus says.

“Led by respected Aboriginal Elders, artists, students and community members, the week centres Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing through welcoming and inclusive workshops.  Each activity creates meaningful opportunities for yarning, practical learning and skill-sharing, enabling those attending to engage directly and respectfully with Aboriginal Knowledge Holders while showcasing the strength, diversity and continuation of Aboriginal cultures.”

Celebration of culture

Indigenous Week honours the oldest living cultures in the world, celebrating the strength, diversity and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Each campus curates its program in collaboration with Indigenous Advisors and Engagement Officers, ensuring locally grounded and culturally relevant experiences.

Education and awareness

The week is an opportunity for all students, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to learn about the histories, languages, protocols and lived experiences of First Nations peoples. This aligns with La Trobe’s Indigenous Strategy 2022–2030, which prioritises cultural capability and systemic change.

Connection to Country

Each La Trobe campus is located on the lands of various Traditional Custodians. Indigenous Week promotes place-based cultural understanding by connecting students and staff with Aboriginal community members, Elders, Traditional Owners and Indigenous organisations.

Getting involved

Join one of the many events happening across our campuses during Indigenous Week! Meet new people, learn something new and get involved. See what’s on below:

Melbourne (Bundoora) campus – Wurundjeri Country

Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony, didgeridoo performance and guest speakers
Monday 17 August, 11am – 12pm
Location: Agora & Ngarn-gi Bagora
All staff and students welcome
Join the Welcome to Country in the Agora with didgeridoo playing and guest speakers. This will be followed by lunch and activities in the Ngarn-gi Bagora Indigenous student centre (Level 2 of the Agora).

Bendigo campus – Dja Dja Wurrung Country

The Bendigo campus is hosting a range of activities throughout the week, with Jonny Cake making and preparing over the coals taking place each day. Activities include creating Kewpie dolls and learning about the history, a traditional weaving workshop and a spirit bird creation – traditional pendant making workship (for men only).

Activities will be held at the Ironbark Centre, Flora Hill. See all activities below:

Event dates: 17–21 August 2026
Location: Ironbark Centre, La Trobe University, Flora Hill
All welcome
Morning tea and hearty lunch provided every day.

Monday 17 August

Kewpie Doll Creations and History — Session 1
Time: 10:30 am–12 pm
Facilitators: Daisy, Wamba Wamba & Pawpaw Marlene
Capacity: Limited to 10 people

Kewpie Doll Creations and History — Session 2
Time: 1 pm–2:30 pm
Facilitators: Daisy, Wamba Wamba & Pawpaw Marlene
Capacity: Limited to 10 people

Tuesday 18 August

Traditional Weaving Techniques
Time: 10 am–2 pm
Facilitators: Aunty Janet, Yorta Yorta
Capacity: Limited to 15 people

Wednesday 19 August

Fire Pit Yarning, Mindful Drawing, Impressions from Country with Charcoal
Time: 10 am–2 pm
Facilitator: Annie, Yorta Yorta
Capacity: Limited to 15 people

Spirit Bird Creations – Traditional Pendant Making
Time: 10 am–2 pm daily
Facilitators: Arron, Wiradjuri
Capacity: Limited to 12 men only

Thursday 20 August

Creative Art Making
Time: 10 am–2 pm
Facilitator: Aunty Janet, Yorta Yorta
Capacity: Limited to 15 people

Spirit Bird Creations – Traditional Pendant Making
Time: 10 am–2 pm
Facilitators: Arron, Wiradjuri
Capacity: Limited to 12 men only

Friday 21 August

Wood Burning and Bead Making
Time: 10 am–2 pm
Facilitators: Michellie, Palawa
Capacity: Limited to 20 people

Spirit Bird Creations – Traditional Pendant Making – booked out
Time: 10 am–2 pm
Facilitators: Arron, Wiradjuri
Capacity: Booked out

Activities & catering available every day

Jonny Cake making and preparing over the coals
Facilitators: Sue and Eb (Baakandji)

Registration / Contact

Contact: Sue Tuitupou
Email: s.tuitupou@latrobe.edu.au
Phone: 0473 461 029
Email Sue with your RSVP to avoid missing out.

Mildura campus – Latji Latji / Barkindji Country

Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony & art workshops
Tuesday 18 August, 10:30am to 2:30pm
Location: Seminar Room 1
All staff and students welcome

Our Mildura campus is hosting a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, followed by art workshops on Tuesday 18 August.  All students are welcome and encouraged to attend and get involved in the activities. Uncle Col Clark, a well-known local Elder, will run art workshops and join staff and students for some food and story sharing. The art workshops involve creating artifacts and painting canvases.

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The Student Experience Survey is now open until 31 August. Current first and final year undergraduate students and all postgraduate coursework students who are eligible will receive an invitation to participate via your La Trobe student email.

Your feedback will be used to shape the future of La Trobe, while also helping to improve the overall student experience in Australia.

The insights gained from previous Student Experience Surveys have helped us to:

• make it easier to access wellbeing services, including counselling and legal support
• provide you with more support to plan and develop your career skills
• introduce exciting new ways to meaningfully connect with other students

Learn more about the ways your feedback drives meaningful change through You Said, We Did.

Have your say for a chance to win

Complete the Student Experience Survey and you’ll automatically go into the draw for QILT’s weekly gift card draws, with prizes valued at up to $1,000.

That’s not all – complete the survey by 5pm on Monday 31 August and you’ll also go into the draw to win one of La Trobe’s exclusive prizes*:

• First prize: 13-inch MacBook Air (Apple chip, 16GB RAM)
• Second prize: Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop
• Third prize: Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones
• Fourth prize: Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones

*Terms and conditions apply

How to complete the survey

Complete the survey using the personalised link in your La Trobe student email, or head to the QILT website to learn more and access the survey.

If you have any questions, please email surveys@latrobe.edu.au.

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This year marks a significant milestone, celebrating 50 years of NAIDOC Week. For five decades, the week has honoured and elevated First Nations voices, cultures and resilience, while providing all Australians with the opportunity to participate in events, deepen their understanding and celebrate the world’s oldest continuing living cultures.

The 2026 NAIDOC Week theme, 50 Years of Deadly, celebrates the strength, leadership and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over the past five decades, while looking ahead to the future. The theme recognises the Elders, organisers, artists, activists and communities whose leadership has shaped NAIDOC into a powerful platform for truth-telling, cultural celebration and community pride. It also acknowledges the next chapter of NAIDOC will continue to be led by First Nations communities.

NAIDOC Week is a time to embrace Indigenous Australians’ cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of our national heritage; to listen, learn, and engage in meaningful dialogue; and to help foster a society where the contributions of Indigenous people are fully valued and respected.

At La Trobe, we remain committed to advancing reconciliation through education, research and meaningful partnerships with First Nations communities. We will continue to implement our Indigenous Strategy, support our Gabra Biik, Wurruwila Wutja Indigenous Research Centre, and work alongside our Elders Council to strengthen Indigenous leadership and outcomes across the University.

A list of events being held around the country is available on the official NAIDOC Week website. The University will also present events across our campuses during Indigenous Week at La Trobe in August. Details will be announced soon.

The University is proud to provide pathways and opportunities for Indigenous students, support our Indigenous staff and undertake research and engagement that benefits the Indigenous communities connected to our campuses. As we celebrate 50 years of NAIDOC Week, we reaffirm our commitment to listening, learning and walking together to help build a more just, equitable and inclusive future.

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With the opening of the new La Trobe Health Clinic at the Bundoora campus, there has been an update to parking arrangements to better support community access.

What’s changed?

A section of Car Park 9 (previously available for all-day parking) is now:

• 2-hour parking only
• Reserved for Health Clinic patients and visitors

(See map below for more details)

Why this matters

The new Health Clinic is now open and providing a range of allied health services to the community, including physiotherapy, psychology and speech pathology.

To make sure patients and visitors can easily access appointments, short-term parking is needed close to the clinic.

What this means for students

• Some spaces in Car Park 9 are no longer available for all-day student parking
• The 2-hour limit applies in designated areas
• You’ll need to plan ahead and use other all-day student parking options on campus if you’re attending classes for longer periods

These changes help ensure that patients visiting the clinic can access care easily, while also supporting hands-on learning opportunities for La Trobe students.

Please check signage when parking and allow extra time to find a space if needed.

Map of Car Park 9 changes

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Heywire is a lived experience storytelling competition for young people living in regional, rural and remote Australia. For over 20 years, Heywire has been celebrating the bravery and honesty it takes to share your story – your way.

What might seem everyday to you could be epic to someone else, whether that’s sharing what life’s like where you live, what you care about or what frustrates you.

Stories can be in any format: text, video or audio – whatever suits you best! All that matters is that it’s a true story about some aspect of your life in regional Australia.

Why should I enter?

Heywire isn’t a spelling or grammar competition – they’re looking for real, powerful stories from young people. Winners get the chance to: 

• Work with ABC producers to share their story nationally 
• Have their story featured across the ABC – on TV, radio, online and social media 
• Win an all-expenses-paid trip to the Heywire Summit in Canberra

How to enter

Entries for the 2027 competition are now open. Submit your story by Monday 1 September on the ABC Heywire website. Looking for some inspiration? You can also check out the incredible stories of previous Heywire winners.

The post Regional students, tell your story with ABC Heywire appeared first on MyLaTrobe.

Services will be unavailable during this time. 

All services will resume on Tuesday 9 June 2026.

The post King’s Birthday Public Holiday 2026 appeared first on MyLaTrobe.

During this time, you will not be able to access:

• Graduate Research Online Forms, including Scholarship Applications, Progress and Candidature
• Other StudentOnLine forms, including Variation of Enrolment and Leave of Absence
• The Account Activation page

The system will be available again after 9:30pm. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.

The post StudentOnLine outage: 4 July 2026 appeared first on MyLaTrobe.

Pride Week at La Trobe | 24 – 28 August 

To make sure more students can get involved, we celebrate Pride Week later in the year. In 2026, Pride Week will run from 24–28 August, with events and activities held across our campuses. More details will be shared closer to the date.

In the meantime, here are a few ways to connect and get involved:

Find community

The La Trobe Queer Club is a student-run group that hosts weekly meet-ups at the Bundoora campus, along with online spaces and special events throughout the year. It’s a great way to meet people and find your community.

Share your voice
Private Lives is Australia’s largest national survey on the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ adults, run by La Trobe’s Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS). If you identify as LGBTIQA+ and live in Australia, you’re encouraged to take part. You can also join the ARCSHS mailing list to stay up to date with their research.

Happy Pride Month!

The post Pride Month 2026 appeared first on MyLaTrobe.

The Council is the governing body of La Trobe and looks after the general direction and monitoring of the University.

In total, twenty (20) students have nominated for the position and now it’s up to you to decide who the successful candidate is.

The nominees’ names appear in the table below, in alphabetical order: 

Voting opened at 9am on Thursday 21 May and closes at 5pm on Thursday 28 May 2026.

All students eligible to vote have been sent an individual email from our third party vendor, BigPulse. Included in this email is a link to voting instructions, the candidates’ photos and their profiles.

To be eligible to vote, students:

• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must be currently enrolled
• Must not be a staff member of the University. These students fall into the staff category and can vote in the election of a staff member.

For more information you can visit the Council Elections webpage.

Good luck to all the nominees!

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We are expanding our existing services to support you with your studies.

Financial and academic support 
Depending on your circumstances and course there are several supports available. If you’re feeling the impact, we may be able to support you with financial bursaries and scholarships to ease financial pressures. For students who are currently on, or about to begin placement for your studies, we are increasing our support as we recognise that placements for students can add pressure and uncertainty at this time.

If you’re unsure where to start, Student Advising or Wellbeing Services can help point you in the right direction and provide advice about your study options as you approach Census date.

La Trobe is continuing to monitor the rising cost of living and may make additional services available.

This is a difficult period, and you are not expected to manage it on your own. Please reach out and make use of the support available to you—we are here to help.

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