Pledge not to celebrate Australia Day on 26 January.
ANTAR has long campaigned for Australians to think critically about 26 January. It is long overdue that we have genuine, thoughtful and respectful national discussions on finding an alternative to ‘Australia Day’. One thing is clear: 26 January is not a date to celebrate.
We strongly encourage you to use the date to participate in one of the Invasion or Survival Day events around the country. You can also use the date to read and amplify First Nations perspectives, support First Nations artists, authors and businesses, and talk to friends, family and colleagues about how 26 January feels to many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Take action – make our pledge below.
I acknowledge that for many First Nations Peoples in Australia, 26 January is a painful reminder of the invasion of their unceded lands and the onset of the Colonial Frontier Wars. It is a date that marks the beginning of First Nations dispossession, murder and oppression at the hands of colonial powers. I acknowledge the resilience, resistance and refusal of First Peoples in the face of that invasion, and their ongoing survival in the face of continuing settler colonialism.
I pledge to: not celebrate Australia Day on the 26 January; talk to friends and family about what 26 January means to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Peoples and / or attend a Survival Day or Invasion Day event in solidarity; support campaigns to change the date, rethink and / or abolish Australia Day.