Australia Day, celebrated annually on January 26, has long been touted as a day of unity — a celebration of national pride and identity. However, for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, this date — at times referred to as Invasion Day — is one of mourning: a reminder of the beginning of colonisation, dispossession and systemic oppression.
January 26 marks the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and the violent colonisation that followed. For First Nations peoples, this initiated the theft of land, the destruction of culture, the separation of families and acts of genocide.
These injustices are not confined to history; their ripple effects continue to be felt across generations, manifesting in ongoing social, economic and health inequities. To celebrate the date without acknowledging its impact is to ignore the pain and resilience of the First Peoples of this land.
We can’t change history, but we can learn from it. Changing the date of Australia Day would create a pathway towards harmony grounded in truth. Resistance to the change stems from a reluctance to confront Australia’s colonial history. Yet understanding and acknowledging the truth is the first step toward any genuine resolution.
January 26 might have only been declared a national holiday in 1994, but it was back in 1938 when a group of Aboriginal people — including my great-grandfather, Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls — gathered in protest to declare January 26 a “day of mourning”.
Changing the date is not about assigning guilt to non-Indigenous Australians. It’s about fostering empathy and respect for the true history of this land. It is a step towards building a nation that embraces diversity while honouring First Peoples.
Opponents argue that altering the date dilutes national pride. But pride in a nation should not come at the expense of ignoring the suffering of First Peoples. A new date could reflect shared values of inclusivity, respect and the celebration of a rich cultural heritage that predates 1788 by tens of thousands of years.
To change the date is to acknowledge the strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who have survived centuries of attempts to erase their cultures. If we want to move on together, we must start accepting the truth about what was done to Aboriginal peoples and decide what we’re going to do about it. It is a chance to educate future generations about Australia’s true history and to create a new narrative that celebrates the survival and contributions of the oldest living cultures on the planet.
Changing the date alone will not erase the scars of colonisation, but it is a powerful gesture of Australia’s willingness to listen, learn, and take action towards reconciliation. It is a call for all Australians to walk together on a path of truth-telling and healing. Only then can we move to honour the past.
Let’s create celebrations that unite, rather than exclude people; celebrations where everyone can feel welcome, whether their family has called Australia home for five years or 50,000 years. By shifting the focus of Australia Day, we can create a nation that celebrates not just its achievements but its capacity for growth and understanding.
January 26 may always carry its historical weight, but our future as a unified nation requires that we honour it with the respect and reflection it deserves — by changing the date we celebrate.
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