ATHLETE
Politician
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Australia's First Aboriginal & Northern Territorian to Win an Olympic Gold Medal.
Nova Peris became the first Aboriginal Australian to win an Olympic gold medal as part of the Hockeyroos in Atlanta 1996 and the first Australian mother to win gold since 1956.
Peris uniquely represented Australia in two sports—hockey and athletics—at separate Olympics. She is the only person globally to reach back-to-back Summer Olympic finals in two sports and to win both Olympic and Commonwealth gold medals in different sports.
Australia's First Aboriginal Woman elected to Federal Parliament.
Since the mid-1990s, Nova Peris has been a strong advocate for Aboriginal people, visiting hundreds of communities to understand their challenges. Using her platform in Federal Parliament, she amplified the voices of those often unheard and made a profound, positive impact on young Aboriginal lives through both her words and actions.
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Happy Global Olympic Day!
From the moment I became the first Aboriginal Olympic gold medalist in Atlanta 1996, to witnessing my sister Cathy Freeman light up the world with her gold medal in Sydney 2000 — we’ve stood proudly as Aboriginal women representing not just our people, but all of Australia.
Our journeys were different, but our purpose has always been the same: to uplift, inspire, and pave the way for the next generation of Aboriginal athletes. We carried not only the weight of a nation’s expectations, but the hopes of our ancestors and the dreams of our communities.
We trained together. We travelled together. We lived out our dreams — side by side. And we never forget the people who backed us along the way.
Once an Olympian, always an Olympian.
Proud. Grateful. Unbreakable.
Happy Olympic Day to all my fellow Olympians around the world. 💛❤️🖤💚💙🤍
#OlympicDay #OnceAnOlympianAlwaysAnOlympian #AboriginalExcellence #ProudlyFirstNations #OlympicLegacy
Extremely grateful to be back on home soil 🇦🇺❤️
Today as a guest of @jca_today I shared the stage with @sharrimarkson in front of 400 people, recounting the harrowing last 5–6 days I spent in Israel. The night Iran launched over 800 projectiles, 400 of them ballistic missiles — we spent most of it in a bomb shelter.
Some of us saw the missiles over head, but we heard the incredible Iron Dome intercept many right above our heads in Jerusalem. It’s an experience no one can truly grasp unless they’ve lived through it.
I’m so glad I got to meet the parents of the young Jewish Australian kids who fled with us back to safety. Our homeland. Helping them return home to their families is something I’ll carry with me forever.
I love this country. 🙏🇦🇺
Exactly a week ago today I was due to meet with Lishay Miran in Tel Aviv. The Iranian missile bombardments prevented us meeting face to face, but nothing will stop me talking about her.
Lishay’s husband Omri is one of the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. He was kidnapped from his kibbutz in front of Lishay and his two young daughters Roni and Alma. He was 46. He recently turned 48 in captivity. His wife and daughters need him. He needs his family.
As the war rages with Iran we must never forget that 53 people remain captive in Gaza, of whom 23 are presumed alive. Omri is one of them. It is beyond belief that the hostages and their families have been living this hell for 624 days. They must be released. Urgently. Time is not a luxury they have. Talk about the hostages. Shout about the hostages. Bring them all home now.🎗️🎗️💛💛