‘What if Australia Day was a day that united us, rather than divided? A day where we all could come together to celebrate this huge, beautiful, unique land and waters, and our diverse cultures?’ Rodney Dillon, Palawa man and Amnesty’s Indigenous Rights Advisor, recently said in a Koori Mail article.
In 2017, Amnesty International Australia formally joined the growing movement calling on the Government to #ChangetheDate of our national day so that all Australians can join the celebrations.
Although Australia Day – also known as Survival Day – has only been officially nationally celebrated as a public holiday since 1994, protesting on 26 January is not new for Aboriginal people; protests date all the way back to the 1800s. Check out our video in which Aboriginal leaders and elders share their thoughts on why it’s important to #ChangetheDate:
Each year, momentum to change the date is growing. This year on 26 January there were large public protests across the country. Australians marched in solidarity with the nation’s First peoples in capital cities on Survival Day, and cultural events were held all around the country. Every year, people are coming together to say that 26 January is not a day of celebration.
Thousands of supporters have taken our online action calling on the Federal Government to:
- acknowledge that 26 January has a long and painful history for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; and
- consult with the community to choose a new date for Australia Day so it can be celebrated by all.
Will you stand in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and call on our elected representatives to #ChangeTheDate so we can all celebrate together?
