Tarneen Onus Browne is an Urban List guest editor. A proud Gunditjmara, Bindal, Yorta Yorta person and Torres Strait Islander from the Mer and Erub islands, Browne is the filmmaker behind 'Young Mob Questioning Treaty'. They’re also a major community organiser for Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance.
As Invasion Day draws near, it feels like just yesterday that 60 per cent of Australians voted against a proposed Indigenous representative body in a referendum.
Despite the passage of three months, the blatant racism surrounding the Indigenous representative body referendum still lingers. Online discussions are dominated by vocal opponents, exemplified by figures like Steve Price from Channel 10's The Project. His recent comments on Woolworths' decision to stop stocking Australia Day paraphernalia highlight this ongoing controversy—
“Here we go again, more woke lecturing from corporate Australia …I mean, you think they would have learned their lesson during the (Indigenous) Voice campaign, where 60 per cent of Australians said no to that.”
For many First Nations people, Australia feels like a sombre place. Regardless of whether we as First Nations people voted yes or no, the racist commentary along with the divisive and binary nature of the referendum has left scars on our community.
However, the collective strength of Blackfullas across the country, united in our fight against Australia Day, offers solace and a sense of belonging amidst the chaos in Australia. There is nothing more joyful than coming together with First Nations people nationwide to organise and advocate for justice as a collective.
The struggle to abolish Australia Day is rooted in the fight against the Australian government for its continual failure in regards to First Nations people. The longstanding demands for control over our own affairs is core to this day, with renewed calls each year to stop killing our people in prisons and healthcare settings, and to stop stealing our children, and many more.
As we march and protest Australia Day, we are standing on the shoulders of giants, including First Nations such people Jack Patton, William Ferguson, William Cooper, Pearl Gibbs and Doris Williams and many more. In Sydney on January 26th 1938, they, along with over 100 other Indigenous people, unanimously moved a motion that this day be known as a ‘Day of Mourning’. These First Nations people protested the celebration of the Australian nation's founding day long before it became Australia Day as we now know it.
Alarmingly, since the failure of the referendum we are seeing more and more gains that have been made from years of campaigning being whittled away. Companies and workplaces, for instance, are now removing the cultural practice of a Welcome to Country, many following the lead of parliament and other government bodies and departments who are also removing these and other significant cultural practices which places local Indigenous groups in their workplaces in a visible and meaningful way.
I consider myself fortunate to have grown up with two staunch and proud Aboriginal parents who are dedicated activists and champions for the rights of First Nations people. The impact of their lessons was particularly poignant when, in our homeland Gunditjmara country, as young community organisers, Chris Saunders and I organised the first Invasion Day event in Portland, Victoria in 2016, with over 100 people in attendance.
Chris has continued that event each year since then, and now hundreds of people show up, including people from nearby towns and Gunditjmara people who travel back home for the day from Melbourne and beyond.
This event, which built upon the legacies of others, like my great Aunt Betty King who stormed the stage of the Australia Day event in Portland some 30 years ago, has resulted in the abolition of Australia Day in the Glenelg Shire. This is huge and momentous, and the importance of this abolishment cannot be overstated.
I feel incredibly proud to be a small part of the long legacy of fighting for truth and justice. As we get closer to Invasion Day 2024, I encourage you to write to your local council and let them know that you stand with us in the call for the abolishment of Australia Day, and you do not support the celebration of the genocide First Nations people on January 26—and will they join you?
And after that, I encourage you to join me and thousands of other First Nations people around the country, and take to the streets in protest of this celebration. Will you join me?
Keep reading for why January 26 was never the date to celebrate.
Image credit: Tarneen Onus Browne, Johan Mouchet