Media Release
Whadjuk Noongar Country (Boorloo/Perth), Western Australia
19 January 2026
Reconciliation WA:
Change your understanding.
Change your heart.
Change the date.
As 26 January approaches, Reconciliation WA is calling on all Western Australians to reflect, listen and deepen their understanding of this country’s full story. This year, the message is simple and intentional.
Change your understanding. Change your heart. Change the date.
Reconciliation WA CEO Jody Nunn said the conversation about 26 January is not about blame or division. It is about empathy, respect and national unity. It’s not about changing the day, but changing the date, to be truly inclusive.
“A national day should feel like a barbecue that brings people together. Changing the date is about ensuring every Australian feels genuinely invited.
Jody emphasised that Australia’s story is far older than 1788.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ cultures have thrived on this continent for more than 65,000+ years. Recognising that truth is a key step in changing our understanding and reshaping our national narrative.
Reconciliation WA Executive Manager Cultural Engagement and Impact, Levi Islam, says this moment calls on us to feel, not just think.
“Recognition prompts a response, a thought, an emotion, an action, and those responses are shaped by perception. When we change our understanding, our hearts shift too. That is how we create space for all Australians to celebrate together.”
For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 26 January marks the beginning of displacement, trauma and ongoing systemic inequity. Jody notes that views within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are diverse.
“Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people choose to participate in Australia Day. Many do not. Respecting this diversity matters. It is where the lived reality of diversity truly shows up and that is the richness of our community.”
Reconciliation WA believes a national day should be one where all Australians can stand together with pride from all nationalities, including our diaspora of multicultural communities.
“Contemporary Australia is wonderfully diverse,” Jody said. “A national day should reflect and honour that diversity, grounded in truth and mutual respect.”
Reconciliation WA continues to advocate for a change of date. The current public holiday was only fixed on 26 January in 1994, which is an important context, but the organisation is choosing to approach this moment with relational and strategic leadership.
“In a time of global polarisation, we want to model what open hearted dialogue can look like,” Jody said. “This is an invitation to listen deeply, meet people where they are, and move forward together.”
Reconciliation WA welcomes emerging conversations, including the proposal for an Australian Long Weekend, which would shift the public holiday to the second last Monday in January each year.
This ensures a national celebration never falls on 26 January, while offering a consistent long weekend that all Australians can enjoy.
Levi emphasised that leadership requires ongoing honesty, courage and reflection.
“If we are serious about the future of this country and celebrating thoughtfully, leaders need to maintain this conversation throughout the year by educating honestly, reflecting sincerely, respecting deeply and stepping up courageously to commit to a date that we can all wholeheartedly honour the full story of Australia, and the people who continue to write it together.”
Levi says the pathway to reconciliation starts with simple, human questions.
“Start with curiosity. Ask, who is your mob and where are you from? We have so much intersectionality to celebrate. That is how understanding grows, and understanding is what leads to unity.”
As Australia moves toward the bicentenary commencing in the Great Southern in 2026 and as a state in 2029, Reconciliation WA believes the nation has an opportunity to reimagine what its national identity stands for.
“January 26 should be a time of reflection,” Jody said. “If we change our understanding and change our heart, the date will naturally follow. When it does, we can finally have a national day that includes all of us.”
