One million pages will support language and culture recovery

Australian Museum and the Aboriginal Languages Trust have received $2.5 million to open major cultural archives for First Nations communities across New South Wales.

Announced in Sydney on 7 July 2026, the funding backs the First Nations Community Access to Archives project, or FNCAA. It will use about one million pages of archival records linked to kinship, stories, cultures and languages.

Across NSW, the project aims to reconnect First Nations people with records that support language revitalisation and cultural renewal. It also supports the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and commitments in the Aboriginal Languages Trust strategic plan.

Five First Nations staff will be employed through FNCAA. Those roles will help communities use archive material and build the First Nations archivist and museum workforce.

Brendan Moyle on language records

FNCAA has three core objectives. It will improve access to archival materials for language revitalisation, create a culturally safe path for communities to engage with collections, and develop workforce skills in archives and museums.

Meanwhile, the partnership will enhance collection records and expand access through digitisation. First Nations leadership is built into the project so it can meet the language needs of NSW communities.

Aboriginal Languages Trust executive director Brendan Moyle said the grant marked a major step for communities seeking access to archived records. “Aboriginal Languages carry our knowledge, identity and connection to Country. Communities across NSW have called for greater access to their archived records and are leading the important work of reclaiming and reawakening Language knowledge.”

Access to those materials is meant to support both language revitalisation and cultural renewal. As a result, archived knowledge can be returned to the people and communities it belongs to.

Australian Museum Director of First Nations Laura McBride linked the project to the museum’s archive holdings and access work. She said the museum holds material of deep significance for First Nations communities across NSW and that the partnership with the Aboriginal Languages Trust will deepen cultural interpretation, strengthen collection records and improve digital access.

In addition, the Australian Museum’s wider holdings include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Collections, Aboriginal Archaeology, Pasifika Cultural Collections, World Cultures, and the Rare Books Library and Archives. Those collections give FNCAA a large source base as it works through the one million pages of relevant material.