“You cannot build a just future while refusing to reckon with the past”

Amnesty International Australia calls on the nation to respect First Nations leadership this January 26

January 26 holds a complex and powerful place in Australia's story, one that predates colonial boundaries by tens of thousands of years and continues to shape national life today.

For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, this date marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, violence and systemic injustice following the arrival of the British First Fleet in 1788. It is a day of mourning, resilience and survival, not celebration.

In recent memory, the gatherings that take place on January 26 across the country have been led by First Nations people speaking truth, naming history, and shining a light on the injustices they continue to face. These protests are people power in action. They give voice to those on the front lines of ongoing dispossession, racism and exclusion.

From marches to vigils and reflection ceremonies, these events are not acts of needless disruption - they are acts of community building. Hosted by First Nations people, they are gracious invitations to listen, to learn, and to reckon honestly with the nation's past and present.

"These gatherings are not about division. They are about truth-telling, dignity and survival. First Nations communities are leading with strength and generosity, and the least this nation can do is listen, learn and act."

This tradition has deep roots. In 1938, First Nations activists organised the Day of Mourning on this very date, demanding equality, citizenship and justice in a nation celebrating colonisation. That legacy continues today, through peaceful collective action grounded in culture, care and survival.

January 26 has never only been about a date. It has always been about whose history is told, whose voices are heard, and whose lives are valued. Amnesty International Australia affirms the right of First Nations communities to gather, speak, mourn and organise on this day of profound cultural and political significance.

Amnesty International Australia will continue to work alongside First Nations communities to end the over-representation of First Nations children in the criminal legal system, and to challenge the policies and practices that continue to harm Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

"January 26 forces this country to confront a simple truth: you cannot build a just future while refusing to reckon with the past," said Kacey Teerman, Amnesty International Australia's Indigenous Rights campaigner. "These gatherings are not about division. They are about truth-telling, dignity and survival. First Nations communities are leading with strength and generosity, and the least this nation can do is listen, learn and act."

Amnesty International Australia calls on the nation to respect First Nations leadership today, and to recognise that truth-telling, community and collective voice are necessary for any shared future.

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