ABC at Garma Festival 2023

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this page contains names of deceased persons.

The ABC will showcase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, stories and culture from the Garma Festival from 4-7 August.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson said, “The ABC is proud to bring the Garma Festival to all Australians and honour the memory of the late Yunupingu, whose tireless efforts brought significant change for Indigenous rights and whose impact will be felt by generations of Indigenous Australians.

“The Garma Festival has always focussed on the important issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

The annual Garma Festival is run by the Yothu Yindi Foundation in north-east Arnhem Land and is Australia’s premier Indigenous cultural exchange. The event serves as a national hub for discussions, policy and action formulation, and brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians through youth forums, art, music, film, song, dance and exhibitions.

The ABC is proud to once again be the Garma Festival’s official media partner. Since its inception, the Garma Festival has been at the forefront of discussions about the future of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The theme for this year’s event is Djambatj. In Yolngu, Djambatj is the vision of perfection; a moment in time when the balance of our world is in order. This year the festival will also honour the memory of the Garma Festival founder and Chairman, Yunupingu, with opportunities over the four-day festival to acknowledge his immense contribution as a pioneer for Indigenous rights.

ABC at the Garma Festival:

The ABC will bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, stories and culture from Gulkula to our audiences on all platforms.

Our coverage will be led by Head of Indigenous News Suzanne Dredge and a team of First Nations reporters and can be seen and heard on the ABC News channel, ABC Radio and across our digital and social platforms during the festival and beyond.

Q+A will be recording a special episode hosted by the ABC’s Voice Correspondent and The Drum presenter Dan Bourchier at the festival. It will canvas an array of opinions on the proposed Voice to Parliament and seek the views of young people and local communities. It will air on Monday August 7.

On Friday 4 August ABC audiences will be able to watch the Garma Festival official opening ceremony on the ABC News channel at 4.00pm Australian Central Standard Time (4.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time).

RN Breakfast presenter Patricia Karvelas will be back at the Garma Festival this year reporting for ABC News, RN, and digital.

ABC News Breakfast will also focus on the festival with its coverage featuring Tony Armstrong.

Insiders will broadcast live from Gulkula on Sunday 6 August with David Speers hosting a panel of three experts and political guests.

We will serve younger audiences with bespoke content for triple j’s Hack, and BTN filming segments from the festival over the weekend.

​Photo: Jeanie Govan