Breastfeeding in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families

This NAIDOC Week (6-13 Juy, 2025), we celebrate “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy,” honouring the resilience and cultural knowledge passed from Elders to children. One of the most profound examples of this legacy is the practice of breastfeeding — a custom deeply rooted in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures over 60,000 years.

Historically, breastfeeding was widespread and extended, supported by kinship systems where aunties and grandmothers offered guidance (Kildea et al., 2016). It was not only about feeding, but about bonding, teaching, and cultural continuity.

Today, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers still start out breastfeeding at high rates. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW, 2011 - which is the most recent data), almost 90% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies are breastfed from birth — a rate comparable to the general Australian population.

However, by four months, exclusive breastfeeding rates drop to around 35% among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants (AIHW, 2011). This decline is shaped by structural and systemic factors:

• Limited access to culturally safe lactation support, especially in remote areas (Kildea et al., 2016)
• Socio-economic pressures and higher rates of returning to work or study early (AIHW, 2011)
• Historical trauma and the ongoing impacts of colonisation/stolen generations, which disrupted traditional practices and confidence in breastfeeding (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan, 2021–2031)

Yet the strength and vision of First Nations communities are clear. Community-controlled organisations and Aboriginal health workers across Australia are leading culturally safe, community-led breastfeeding programs (e.g., the ‘Biyarnu’ breastfeeding program in Broome, WA) that rebuild confidence and reconnect families to cultural knowledge.

These programs show real promise. Research by Kildea et al. (2016) found that culturally specific support can improve breastfeeding duration and empower mothers, ensuring the next generation benefits from the health and cultural legacy of breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding isn’t only a nutritional choice; it’s part of a living cultural legacy. Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers to breastfeed and removing systemic barriers, means investing in the next generation’s health, cultural identity and connection so that every baby can thrive.