Michael Long Honoured with NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award.
This week, the National NAIDOC Committee celebrated a significant milestone that echo the 2025 NAIDOC theme, “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy.” The committee awarded the prestigious 2025 National NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award to AFL great and tireless advocate Michael Long.
The theme is a powerful call to action — to uplift and invest in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people while paying tribute to the leaders and legacies that shaped today’s path.
Michael Long, a proud Anmatjere and Marranunggu man, was recognised for a lifetime of service to truth, justice, and self-determination. A trailblazer on and off the AFL field, Mr Long has become a national symbol of perseverance and advocacy.
In 2004, he undertook “The Long Walk” — a 650-kilometre trek from Melbourne to Canberra — to call for better outcomes for First Nations communities. That journey became a movement, and he’s continued to walk the talk ever since.
“Michael Long is one of our country’s most respected leaders,” said National NAIDOC Co-Chair Aunty Professor Lynette Riley. “He’s broken barriers, challenged institutions, and always moved forward with purpose and heart. He has inspired generations of First Nations youth to see themselves as leaders.”
Co-Chair Steven Satour added, “This year we celebrate both legacy and future. Michael has spent his life creating pathways for the next generation — giving them not just hope, but power, space, and recognition. He is a living bridge between our past and what lies ahead.”
Michael Long will be presented this achievement at the 2025 National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony which is being held on Saturday 5th July 2025 at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre in Boorloo (Perth) on Whadjuk Boodjar.
*Source- https://nit.com.au/22-05-2025/18085/national-naidoc-committee-honours-m…
Photo Credit * Mr Michael Long.
Image: The Long Walk