NIDA acknowledges with deep respect and profound sadness the passing of Aunty Rhoda Roberts AO, a towering cultural leader whose influence reshaped Australia’s creative landscape and whose legacy will endure for generations.
A proud Widjabul Wia-bal woman of the Bundjalung Nation, Rhoda Roberts was a visionary, a strategist and a relentless advocate for First Nations voices. She stood at the forefront of cultural leadership in this country, not only opening doors but rebuilding the rooms behind them. Her work ensured that First Nations stories were recognised as central to the nation’s cultural life.
Rhoda’s career spanned decades and disciplines. She was instrumental in the development of Aboriginal theatre, film and dance at a national level, championing the work of artists and communities with clarity, authority and deep cultural responsibility. Through senior leadership roles across major festivals, arts organisations and advisory bodies, she transformed how institutions engaged with First Nations culture. Her influence reached government, education and the arts, always grounded in the principle that culture is living, sovereign and powerful.
NIDA was profoundly honoured to work alongside Rhoda. She began her formal engagement with the Institute in 2021 as First Nations Consultant, during a period of significant institutional reflection. From the outset, Rhoda approached this work with precision and purpose. She demanded integrity, courage and sustained action.
Darren Dale, Managing Director of Blackfella Films and NIDA’s Deputy Chair said “Aunty Rhoda Roberts was not only a towering force in Australian arts and culture, but a deeply respected mentor, leader, and friend to so many of us. Her generosity of spirit, strength, and unwavering commitment to First Nations storytelling shaped lives as much as it shaped the industry. Her passing is felt profoundly across our community and within NIDA. As Deputy Chair, and personally, I honour her remarkable legacy and the doors she opened for generations to come. She will be deeply missed, and always remembered.”
Her guidance reshaped NIDA’s approach to First Nations leadership, education and cultural responsibility. She led the recruitment of NIDA’s First Nations team, establishing structures that will continue long beyond her lifetime. Through this work, she ensured that First Nations knowledge was embedded within the Institute’s curriculum and governance, not appended to it. The integration of cultural knowledge through teaching, mentoring and her guidance in adopting Uncle Matt’s Wingara into NIDA’s curriculum stands as one of her many lasting contributions.
Rhoda’s leadership was not abstract. She worked closely with individuals across the organisation, offering direct counsel, challenge and care. She listened deeply, spoke plainly and always acted in service of future generations. Even while facing serious illness, her commitment never wavered. In her final months, she continued to teach, delivering lectures on the history of Aboriginal theatre and film and sharing her own work as an artist.
Rhoda Roberts understood power, systems and responsibility, and she used them to create space for others to lead. She was fearless, generous and exacting. She expected institutions to do better because she knew they could.
Her legacy at NIDA is embedded in our people, our practices and our purpose. We carry forward her vision with gratitude and with resolve.
NIDA extends its deepest condolences to Rhoda’s family, loved ones and the many communities she guided and inspired.
At the request of her family, the funeral service for Aunty Rhoda Roberts AO will be broadcast live from 12:15pm AEDT on Tuesday 31 March from St Carthage’s Cathedral in Lismore, on Bundjalung Country. The service will be available via NITV, SBS On Demand, and NITV’s Facebook and YouTube channels, allowing communities across the country to come together to pay their respects.
A week-long tribute, Rhoda Roberts AO: A Lasting Legacy, will also air on NITV and SBS On Demand from 31 March to 6 April, celebrating her extraordinary contribution to the arts, media and public life, and honouring the enduring cultural impact of her work.
Aunty Rhoda Roberts AO will be remembered with honour, love and deep respect.
In consideration of Indigenous cultural protocols, NIDA, through SBS and NITV, has gained permission to use and reproduce Rhoda’s name, voice and image, and are doing so in line with her wishes.