This page is where our words are defined. It is read with our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy and the other pages under Terms and Privacy, and with our Statements. If a word is used differently in a signed contract, statement of work or purchase order, that document's meaning applies for that engagement.

Words are grouped by subject and listed alphabetically within each group. To jump to a word, use your browser's find function (Ctrl+F on Windows, Cmd+F on a Mac).

The words we use for peoples

We have no preferred term. Across these pages you will see Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, First Nations, First Peoples, Indigenous and Mob, and the names of particular nations and language groups. We use them interchangeably. None ranks above another, and choosing one in a sentence says nothing about the others.

Why there is no single right word. Most of the broad terms are English words placed on many distinct peoples after colonisation, without asking them. Governments have also defined who counts, over and over. The legal historian John McCorquodale found that, since white settlement, governments have used "no less than 67 classifications, descriptions or definitions to determine who is an Aboriginal person". The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) records this in Essentially Yours: The Protection of Human Genetic Information in Australia (ALRC Report 96, 2003), paragraph 36.11. So the right word is the one a person or community uses for themselves.

Where some of the words come from.

• Aboriginal. From the Latin ab origine, "from the beginning". In Australia it describes the peoples of the mainland and many islands, including Tasmania. It is one English word for hundreds of distinct peoples.
• Torres Strait Islander. The peoples of the islands of the Torres Strait, between Cape York and Papua New Guinea. They are distinct from Aboriginal peoples.
• Indigenous. A general term, used in international law and across Australian governments. Some people find it too generic, and in cases inappropriate if it is not capitalised.
• First Nations, First Peoples. Terms that recognise the many nations who were here first, each with its own Country, law and language. The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) notes a growing preference for First Nations.
• Nation, language group and regional names. Many people identify first by their own nation, clan or language group. Some use a regional name, such as Koori, Murri, Nunga, Noongar or palawa, which places them as coming from a particular part of the continent.
• Mob. See "The people", below.

How a word gets chosen on these pages.

• When we are speaking with or about a particular person or community, we use the words they use for themselves.
• Our legal documents say "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander", because that is the wording Commonwealth legislation generally uses.
• The business is described as "Indigenous owned", because that is the term used by Supply Nation, the register that lists it.
• Everywhere else the words are interchangeable.

If we have used a word about you that is not the one you use, tell us. We use yours.