Embracing culture and competition at 2026 Indigenous Nationals

RMIT students travelled to Newcastle this month to compete in the 30th Indigenous Nationals, a week-long celebration of sport and connection.

RMIT sent a team of 11 students to compete in four sports: netball, basketball, volleyball and touch football, supported by staff members Levi Foster and Jannalli Brown. They joined more than 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student-athletes from universities across Australia.

The Indigenous Nationals is an annual competition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student-athletes, delivered by UniSport Australia. This year’s event ran from 29 June to 3 July and marked 30 years since the inaugural competition. It was held at the University of Newcastle on the lands of the Awabakal and Worimi Peoples, the same location where the event began in 1996.

The RMIT team competing in the basketball tournament.

Madeleine Quail is a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Business student and the co-captain of RMIT’s Indigenous Nationals. Attending the event for a third year, she highlighted the positive impact the event has had on her and her teammates.

“It is incredible to see the lasting impact that small beginnings can have. It’s a powerful reminder that the ideas and initiatives we start today can make a difference for years to come.”

For Levi Foster, Senior Advisor, Indigenous Careers Success, the event offered students an opportunity to build meaningful connections with peers from across the country.

“The Indigenous Nationals creates opportunities for students to strengthen connections with mob from across Australia. Events like this foster a strong sense of community and belonging.”

The RMIT team competing in the netball tournament.

Community, culture, respect and sportsmanship are at the heart of the Indigenous Nationals, and this year’s anniversary brought those values into sharp focus. Students heard from Elders and past participants who attended the inaugural competition in 1996 and gained a deeper understanding of how the event has grown over three decades.

While the team did not return home with the big win, students said the experience was about far more than the scoreboard.

Meeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from other universities, sharing stories and building relationships that extend beyond the competition were among the highlights of the week.

Madeleine said the event provides a unique opportunity to celebrate culture while connecting with students from across the country.

“Beyond the competition, the week celebrates the world’s oldest continuing culture and provides an opportunity to connect with mob from across the country.”

Returning athlete and Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Industrial Design student Brodyn Harty is already thinking about future competitions.

"The Indigenous Nationals is an event I look forward to each year. I'd love to promote it more and help build the engagement as we take on Townsville next year!"

29 July 2026

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

Learn more about our commitment to Indigenous cultures