We must ask ourselves “what we personally, our communities, our politicians, media and institutions must do to address the things that divide us and strengthen those that bind us together,” writes ANDY HAMILTON SJ in his Australia Day 2026 reflection.
The naming of Australia Day suggests that it unites all Australians, new and old, in celebrating the nationality we share. In recent years, however, many people have recognised that the date chosen for Australia Day does not unite Australians but divides them. It commemorates the landing of the First Fleet. This opened the way for the new arrivals to develop the land. But it also marked the dispossession of the First Peoples and the destruction of their cultures. Few Australians now bother about its history and claim to unite Australians. They are happy to accept it as an invitation to spend a politics-free day on the beach. A cohesive national identity is taken for granted.
The terrorist attack at Bondi late last year has reminded us starkly that national unity cannot be taken for granted. It raises precisely the same uncomfortable questions posed by Australia Day about unity and division in the Australian community. They are also posed by the bitterness of social media exchanges, the growing inequality between the wealthy and the struggling and refusal of governments to address its causes, and the rise of extremist groups concerned to provoke conflict and inflame public opinion on many issues.
These developments are not a cause for despair. But they do suggest that in Australia we need to strengthen institutions and processes that involve respect for persons, ensure personal safety, and embody equality before the law and fraternity in personal, political and international relationships. These are the qualities we value so highly in our commitment to be welcoming, discerning and courageous. They reach beyond the relationship between Indigenous and other Australians. They ask what we personally, our communities, our politicians, media and institutions must do to address the things that divide us and strengthen those that bind us together.
An Australia day fit for purpose is only one of many needs. The promotion of a national day which celebrates unthinkingly or vindictively the arrival of colonists and the dispossession of the first Australians is a luxury we cannot afford. It is disrespectful and divisive. We do need a national day, or perhaps days, that encourage us to celebrate the gift of the many thousands of years of a rich and creative Indigenous cultures, the destructive effects of colonisation both on our First Peoples and on their descendants, and the tenacity and endurance of Indigenous Australians in clinging to their identity. It can then extend the celebration. An appropriate national day would also celebrate the lives both of the descendants of Indigenous Australians and of immigrants who were dedicated to building a just, inclusive and peaceful society.
