'Pride for our people' with Cathy Freeman AC
The Meanjin Oration is QUT’s premier address showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research excellence and innovation.
The 2026 Meanjin Oration will be delivered as a conversation between Cathy Freeman AC and Dr Amy McQuire, centred on the theme 'Pride for our people'. The oration will foreground Indigenous excellence, leadership and cultural strength through Cathy Freeman's lived experience and national legacy, and will reflect on key life milestones through an Indigenous lens.
Delivered to align with the 2026 milestone NAIDOC Week '50 Years of Deadly', the conversation will explore Aboriginal identity, truth telling and intergenerational pride, highlighting the role of Indigenous leadership in shaping Australia’s future.
This is a free, ticketed event. Registration is required.
About the orator
Cathy Freeman AC is a proud Kuku Yalanji and Birri Gubba woman and one of Australia's most celebrated Olympic champions. Rising from Mackay, she made history as the first Aboriginal Australian woman to win international athletics gold and went on to represent Australia at four Olympic Games.
Her defining moment came at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, where she won gold in the 400 metres, carrying both the Australian and Aboriginal flags in a powerful symbol of pride and unity.
A World Champion, Australian of the Year and Companion of the Order of Australia, Cathy is recognised not only for her sporting achievements, but for her enduring impact as a leader, advocate and role model.
Event details
Venue
Program highlights
- Master of Ceremonies: Kevin Yow Yeh, a Wakka Wakka and South Sea Islander man and lecturer at the Carumba Institute
- Welcome to Country by Christopher McGregor, a Mununjali and Yugara man, cultural conservationist and QUT PhD student
- Opening by Professor Wesley Enoch AM, Quandamooka man and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Australians)
- Meanjin Oration (In Conversation): Cathy Freeman AC and Dr Amy McQuire, Darumbal and South Sea Islander woman, journalist and senior lecturer at the Carumba Institute
- Closing and thanks by Professor Margaret Sheil, QUT Vice-Chancellor and President
- Networking and light refreshments
Accessibility and inclusion
We are committed to providing a culturally safe and accessible event.
If you have any access requirements or questions, get in touch with the Carumba Institute team.
Carumba Institute
The Carumba Institute provides a world class Indigenous research and educational environment that foregrounds Indigenous sovereignty. We recognise the centrality of land to Indigenous Australian culture, identity, and spirituality; the significance of intellectual work that affirms Indigenous Australian rights to country and the criticality of Indigenous Australian knowledges to a sustainable future. The Meanjin Oration forms part of the institute’s commitment to building Indigenous intellectual collectives beyond the university.