***This post was updated after initial publication with additional comments***
First Nations organisations have urged Australians to attend events this weekend marking the strength, resilience and resistance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Invasion Day/Survival Day events will be held around the country, and organisers say a strong turnout is important for demonstrating solidarity and ongoing commitment to justice for First Nations peoples.
This comes amid widespread concern that governments and other sectors are backing away from positive action to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, following the Voice referendum. The Sydney Morning Herald today reported a survey showing that 61 percent of those polled now support keeping the date as 26 January, compared with 47 percent two years ago.
Meanwhile, more than 30,000 people have signed a #ChangeTheDate petition started by the Clothing the Gaps company calling for “urgent recognition that January 26 is not a date for national celebration”.
The date marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet when Captain Arthur Phillip raised the British flag, and is a day of mourning, survival, and remembrance for First Nations people, the petition says, representing “the invasion of Aboriginal lands, the disruption of cultures, the loss of lives, and an enduring legacy of trauma passed down through generations”.
“This celebration, which only became an official public holiday in 1994, fails to embody the values of unity, respect, and reconciliation.”
The petition calls on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to reconsider his opposition to changing the date, and “to demonstrate true commitment to the values of inclusion and respect”.
“Acknowledging the pain associated with January 26 is not about division – it’s about healing,” says the petition.
The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) is supporting the petition. CEO Dr Jill Gallagher AO says a new date should also recognise “the rich and vibrant Aboriginal culture and history that existed and thrived long before the First Fleet ever arrived upon these shores.”
“As a proud Aboriginal woman, I want nothing more than to celebrate this amazing country with all Australians – but January 26 is not that date,” she said.
The NSW Aboriginal Land Council is also advocating for a change of date.
“We’re sick of the disrespectful cheap shots about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, and the Welcome to Country ceremonies. We’re over the divisive Australia Day debate and politicians trying to use our people as punching bags to win votes,’’ NSWALC Chairman Councillor Raymond Kelly said in a statement.
Nerita Waight, CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, urges everyone to attend Invasion Day events, and to consider donating to an Aboriginal-owned and run organisation if unable to attend.
“January 26 is not a date to celebrate,” she said. “Australia has a painful legacy of colonisation and dispossession that has deeply affected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for 237 years.
“Our criminal legal system, child protection system and other White systems of law are founded on racism, discrimination and violence.
“At VALS, we see the impacts of these system on our clients every single day. And it is certainly nothing to celebrate.”
Acknowledging the carers
Statement by National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP)
Today we acknowledge the strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the lead up to, during, and following so called ‘Australia Day’. Held annually on January 26, ‘Australia Day’ commemorates the day Captain Arthur Phillip and the first fleet of convicts landed on Sydney Cove and raised the Union Jack flag as a declaration of British sovereignty over Australia in 1788.
While ‘Australia Day’ is a day of celebration for many Australians across the country, for. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, it marks the invasion of our lands and the start of colonisation, dispossession, decimation and trauma. Also known as Survival Day or Invasion Day, January 26th has become a day to mourn our country’s dark history.
Protests against the celebration of invasion have been held annually since at least 1938. On January 26, 1938, while Aboriginal men were forced to re-enact a distorted account of European settlement during Sesquicentenary celebrations, advocates like Jack Patten, William Ferguson, and William Cooper mobilised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for the inaugural Day of Mourning Conference at Australia Hall, Sydney. People from across the country gathered to protest invasion and demand equality, justice, and recognition of their rights to land, freedom, language, culture, and life. The 1938 Day of Mourning is seen as the foundation of the Aboriginal civil rights movement, showcasing the resilience and survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples despite the ongoing impacts of colonisation.
This time can be stressful and traumatic for our Mob. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s important to seek out people who can help you feel better. It may be as simple as having a cuppa and a yarn with a loved one, but sometimes it’s important to speak to a professional.
To do this, you can:
- call 13YARN on 13 92 76 at any time to have a free, confidential chat to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis supporters
- ask your health care provider for a Mental Health Care Plan
- check out the list of support services collated by Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia
We acknowledge that 237 years after the invasion of Australia, the devastating effects of colonisation continues to impact on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We stand in solidarity with our Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker and Health Practitioner workforce, who work tirelessly to improve health and wellbeing outcomes and ensuring our mob have access to culturally safe and responsive health care. We thank you for all that you do.
Whether you call it Australia Day, Survival Day or Invasion day, we encourage you all to reflect on the impacts of colonisation and celebrate the resilience and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We hope you take this Day as an opportunity to begin listening to truth-telling about Australia’s colonial history and finding respectful ways to respect, honour and celebrate the rich culture Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have sustained for over 65,000 years.
Social and emotional wellbeing
Meanwhile, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) has created a social media campaign, #ThisDayMyWay, as “an opportunity to take ownership over a day that can bring up complex emotions for a lot of us”.
“It’s an opportunity to spark important and healthy conversations between mob that help us look after ourselves and each other around 26 January.”
NACCHO is also sharing social and emotional wellbeing resources.
Dr Louis Peachey, Founding President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association wrote recently in Croakey: “We may not change the date this year, it may not change in the next decade, but it is inevitable that Australia Day will evolve to something beyond the BBQ and alcohol festival it has been over the last two decades since becoming a national public holiday.”
Details of rallies and events nationally are here and here; the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria has compiled a list of events across Victoria; and Amnesty Australia has an Invasion Day toolkit for activists.
Further reading
- For non-Indigenous allies, now is the time to step up, conference told
- In marking this day, calls to work harder for justice, anti-racism and truth-telling
- Voice referendum outcome shows need for civics education and action on racism and misinformation
- Ahead of Voice referendum anniversary, health sector urged to work as if it had been Yes
See Croakey’s archive of articles on social and emotional wellbeing