Australia's peak union body, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), has called for the nation to move Australia Day from its current date of January 26, asserting that the date "reinforces structural racism." In a submission to an inquiry into racism, hate, and violence toward Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the ACTU stated that a growing number of Australians are reconsidering the significance of January 26, making it an opportune time to "revisit the relevance of celebrating 26 January as Australia Day."
The union body also advocated for a representative voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, despite the failure of the Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023. The ACTU proposed three potential avenues for such a voice: a constitutionally enshrined body, a legislated advisory council, or a treaty-negotiating assembly. The submission emphasized that dismantling systemic racism, which is embedded in laws, policies, and service delivery, requires truth-telling, structural accountability, and self-determination.
For many Indigenous Australians, January 26 signifies the commencement of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing injustice. The ACTU argued that the absence of an empowered voice within governmental institutions hinders efforts to address systemic racism and hold the government accountable. The submission noted that the failure of the Voice to Parliament referendum, which saw over 60 percent of Australians vote against it, left the broader reform agenda unresolved.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously stated he would respect the referendum's outcome and that there would be no second referendum. However, he has also acknowledged that significant progress is still needed to address inequalities faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, describing the journey toward reconciliation as having "bumps in the road."
Reports from the Closing the Gap initiative indicate a lack of progress, with critical issues in some Indigenous communities having worsened, according to proponents of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Cultural educator Aunty Munya Andrews has cautioned that Australia is entering a "dangerous new phase of division," pointing to recent public backlash against Welcome to Country ceremonies as a concerning development. She views these ceremonies as an act of reconciliation, not a divisive practice.
Systemic Racism and Vulnerabilities
The ACTU submission also highlighted the particular vulnerability of Indigenous Australians to climate change, citing the concentration of communities in remote regions. The union body stated that natural disaster recovery centers are often inadequately equipped to address the needs of large kinship groups, cultural practices, or language requirements. Furthermore, it argued that climate change threatens the capacity of Indigenous peoples to fulfill their responsibilities to Country, and that structural racism within emergency response, planning, and health systems exacerbates these harms.
The ACTU further called for a national, consistent curriculum on truth-telling, to be implemented from early childhood through tertiary education. This curriculum, they proposed, would establish cultural competency and anti-racism as fundamental expectations for all students.
The Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs is expected to release its findings in September. Senator Jana Stewart stated that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples deserve to live free from racism, hate, and violence, and that confronting the environment in which hatred grows is crucial for community safety.