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A petition on Change.org calling for an end to January 26 being celebrated as “Australia Day” has surpassed 26,000 signatures, as Australians prepare for the long weekend.
The petition, launched by Aboriginal-led social enterprise Clothing the Gaps, highlights the trauma caused by celebrating this date, which has been recognised as a national public holiday since 1994. More than 26,000 Australians are urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to reconsider his stance on the date and engage in meaningful dialogue with all Australians, particularly First Nations communities, to determine a way forward.
“We are so proud to have grown our Change.org petition to a massive 25,000 signatures in such a short time. We’re sending a clear message to the government that Australians don’t believe that January 26 is a day to celebrate, and that we’re demanding change,” said Clothing the Gaps co-founder Laura Thompson.
You can sign the petition here:
Clothing the Gaps was started in 2019 by co-founders Laura Thompson, a Gunditjmara woman, and Sarah Sheridan. Laura grew up amongst the uprising of Community Control in a staunch Gunditjmara family and in the Koorie Community in and around the Collingwood flats. She met co-founder Sarah while working together in preventative health at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) in 2014, and they went on to create one of the most recognisable First Nations fashion labels in the country, with a workforce that is almost entirely first nations people. The business now funds and supports a sister charity, Clothing the Gaps Foundation, to help improve First Nations health outcomes.
Another petition started by Juliette Davis advocating for January 26 to remain “Australia Day” as a celebration of national pride has reached over 4,000 signatures. Davis argues that the date should remain a day for Australians to reflect on the past and look toward a better future, allowing individuals to assign their own meaning to the holiday, much like Christmas or Easter.
About Change.org:
Change.org is the world’s largest petition platform, empowering more than 420 million users worldwide to create the change they want to see. Every day, thousands of people around the world use our tools to transform their communities, hold decision-makers accountable, and drive progress. Learn more at Change.org.
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