Territory’s own Prof Eddie Cubillo receives national NAIDOC Education Award

Darwin-born Professor Eddie Cubillo’s won a national education award, but his fight to teach justice came at a cost. Read the details.

Darwin-born professor Eddie Cubillo was recognised nationally for his education excellence by winning the NAIDOC Education Award at a ceremony in Perth on Sunday.

Speaking on his grandfather’s country, the Larrakia, Wadjigan, and Central Arrernte man attributed his award to a lifetime of learning and the power of education.

The 56-year-old grandfather is well-educated — he holds an undergraduate degree from Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University), a masters degree from Flinders University and a PhD from University Technology Sydney.

“It’s grounded in my culture — knowledge is very important to us,” Professor Cubillo said.

Professor Eddie Cubillo spoke with the NT News on his grandfather’s Larrakia country. Picture: Darcy Fitzgerald

“How we attain knowledge and share knowledge is part of our ongoing, lifelong learning.

“But we also have to learn in both worlds.

“There’s different ways of education that work for everybody — there’s not just one specific way of learning.”

He said it was this approach to marry traditional Indigenous knowledge with the Western knowledge espoused by sandstone universities which led to his NAIDOC Award, but also landed him in hot water.

“During my time at the University of Melbourne Law School, I have advocated for our right to teach our law — our ways of resolving conflict, of healing, of holding responsibility,” the professor said when accepting his award.

Eddie Cubillo at the 2025 NAIDOC Awards in Perth. Picture: Cole Baxter

“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.”

Professor Cubillo said this push for Indigenous perspectives within the “privileged” academic community had not always been easy.

“It’s hard changing the fabric of how this society was set up,” he told the NT News.

“The university talks a big game — they have an Indigenous strategic plan, an anti-racism policy and they talk about academic freedom, but their actions actually tell you the exact opposite.”

This conflict led Professor Cubillo to publicly resign as associate dean at the University of Melbourne in September, 2023.

Professor Cubillo has served in various key roles. Picture: Darcy Fitzgerald

He continued on at the university’s Indigenous Law and Justice Hub, before eventually leaving the Melbourne Law School altogether to become director of the Mabo Centre this year.

The accomplished Territorian can add roles as NT anti-discrimination commissioner and executive officer of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) to his resume too.

He thinks of these prestigious roles more as responsibilities, than achievements.

“Education is not just about knowledge — it is about responsibility,” Professor Cubillo said.

“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.”