The University of Melbourne congratulates Professor Cubillo on winning the 2025 National NAIDOC Education Award in Boorloo/Perth on July 5.
A Larrakia, Wadjigan and Central Arrernte man from the Northern Territory, Dr Cubillo is a leading advocate for Indigenous justice who has dedicated his career to championing legal reform and self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands peoples.
“I am deeply honoured to accept the National NAIDOC Education Award,” he said in his acceptance speech.
“I accept this award not only on my own behalf, but in recognition of the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have walked this path before me, and those who continue the vital work of empowering our communities through education and advocacy.”
The National NAIDOC Awards recognise individual excellence and celebrate the strength, culture and leadership of First Nations people.
The Education Award recognises exceptional individuals and groups in the education sector who have made a difference to the lives of students and communities. This award seeks to recognise individuals and groups who have made a demonstrable contribution to empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Dr Cubillo is the inaugural Director of the Mabo Centre, a transformational joint initiative of the National Native Title Council and the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Business and Economics to advance First Nations leadership and improving economic outcomes for communities through land and sea rights.
He was previously Associate Dean (Indigenous Programs) at Melbourne Law School and Director of its Indigenous Law and Justice Hub. Dr Cubillo is the first Indigenous person to be appointed a Professor at the Melbourne Law School. Admitted to the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, he is recognised nationally and internationally for his experience and expertise in Indigenous governance and justice service delivery to First Nations Peoples.
“Throughout my career—whether as an academic, an advocate, or in my roles with the Indigenous Law and Justice Hub, the Royal Commission in the NT, Anti-Discrimination Commissioner or as the Director of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services—I have been driven by one core principle: that education is power. But for it to be truly powerful, it must be honest. It must be brave. And it must centre Indigenous truth, history, and voice. Education is not neutral.”
Professor Paul Kofman, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics and Co-Chair of the Mabo Centre Board, congratulated Dr Cubillo on winning the 2025 National NAIDOC Education Award.
“Professor Cubillo is an exceptional academic and educator, and it is a privilege to work alongside him at the Mabo Centre. This award is a much-deserved acknowledgment of his lifelong advocacy for the rights of First Nations peoples and the importance of Indigenous knowledge in the Academy.”
Read Dr Cubillo’s full acceptance speech below:
Thank you. I am deeply honoured to accept the National NAIDOC Education Award. I accept this award not only on my own behalf, but in recognition of the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have walked this path before me, and those who continue the vital work of empowering our communities through education and advocacy.
Throughout my career—whether as an academic, an advocate, or in my roles with the Indigenous Law and Justice Hub, the Royal Commission in the NT, Anti-Discrimination Commissioner or as the Director of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services—I have been driven by one core principle: that education is power. But for it to be truly powerful, it must be honest. It must be brave. And it must centre Indigenous truth, history, and voice. Education is not neutral. Too often, the systems we work within are imbued with settler colonial logics—logics that maintain exclusion, uphold systemic discrimination, and diminish Indigenous perspectives.
Whether in the law, in our institutions, or in the classroom, the erasure of our lived experience persists. That is why it has always been my mission to use education as a platform not only to teach, but to challenge: to challenge deeply ingrained myths about justice, to question the silencing of First Nations knowledge systems, and to demand accountability for the structural racism that still shapes our communities. During my time at the University of Melbourne Law School, I worked to confront the "noble savage" stereotype and expose how settler frameworks marginalise and sanitise Indigenous presence. I have advocated for our right to teach our law—our ways of resolving conflict, of healing, of holding responsibility.
I have pushed for recognition of the critical role of Indigenous legal education, not as a niche, but as central to understanding the full scope of justice in this country. But let me be clear: this recognition is not mine alone. It belongs to every student who has walked through our doors determined to speak their truth, to every community elder who has lent their wisdom, to every ally who has stood beside us. It belongs to the next generation, who deserve to inherit a system more just, more honest, and more inclusive than the one we have known.
I want to thank the NAIDOC Committee, the University of Melbourne, my colleagues and mentors, and most importantly, my community. You have all carried me, challenged me, and held me accountable. Let us remember: education is not just about knowledge—it is about responsibility. May we all continue to use it to elevate our people, honour our stories, and build a future where justice is not an aspiration, but a reality.