Australia's peak union body calls for Australia Day date change and renewed Indigenous Voice model

By SARAH BROOKES - SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: 02:17, 26 June 2026 | Updated: 02:18, 26 June 2026 Australia's most powerful union body says the country must have a Voice in some form and that Australia Day be moved as it 'reinforces structural racism'.  The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) made the demands in a submission to an inquiry into racism, hate and violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 'Celebrating Australia Day on 26 January reinforces structural racism by normalising a national narrative that excludes and harms Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,' the council said. It said as more Australians reconsider what the day represents, 'it is time to revisit the relevance of celebrating 26 January as Australia Day'.  The submission said those who are defensive when a change of date is suggested have a 'lack of understanding, empathy, and willingness to confront Australia's colonial foundations'. Despite the failure of the Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023, ACTU also called for a representative voice for Aboriginal people. The council said it could be introduced in one of three ways: a constitutionally enshrined voice, a legislated advisory body, or a treaty-negotiating assembly. 'Systemic racism - embedded in law, policy and service delivery - cannot be dismantled without truth-telling, structural accountability, and self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,' the submission said. For many Indigenous Australians, January 26 marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, colonisation and ongoing injustice  ACTU secretary Sally McManus (pictured) said reconciliation is impossible when Australia Day continues to be marked on January 26 The Voice to Parliament was voted down by 60 per cent of the country  'This worsening trajectory is directly connected to the absence of a permanent, empowered voice in the institutions that make the laws.' It said Indigenous people do this with no mechanism to hold government to account and no structural platform from which systemic racism can be challenged. Establishing a national truth-telling process was one of three key requests in the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017, alongside a Voice and treaty process. When the Voice to Parliament failed to pass, with more than 60 per cent of Australians voting No, it left the broader reform agenda unresolved. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said there will be no second referendum, previously saying he would 'respect the outcome'. But, during National Reconciliation Week in May, he said there was still 'a long way to go' in addressing inequalities faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 'There are bumps in the road,' Albanese said. 'It's not a straight journey, as progress never is. But I assure you that we'll continue to walk with you.' People take part in the Invasion Day protest march through Sydney during Australia Day 2026 celebrations Cultural educator Aunty Munya Andrews (pictured) has warned Australia is entering 'a dangerous new phase of division' Closing the Gap reports show no progress and critical issues in some Indigenous communities have worsened, architects of the Uluru Statement say.  Cultural educator Aunty Munya Andrews has warned Australia is entering 'a dangerous new phase of division'. 'The recent public backlash against Welcome to Country ceremonies should concern all Australians,' she said, noting booing of the procedures at recent Anzac Day services. She added she is concerned by a growing narrative the ceremonies are divisive, saying they are an act of reconciliation that brings people together through a shared love of Country. The Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs is expected to hand down its findings in September. Wamba Wamba woman Senator Jana Stewart said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people deserve to live free from racism, hate and violence.  'If we are serious about community safety, we must confront the environment in which hatred grows,' she said. In its submission, ACTU said Indigenous Australians were particularly vulnerable to climate change as many communities are based in remote regions. The council added that natural disaster recovery centres were not set up for 'large kinship groups, cultural practices or language needs'. 'Climate change now threatens Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' capacity to fulfil their responsibilities to country,' the submission said. 'Structural racism embedded across emergency response, planning, health and other systems compounds these harms, leaving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities more exposed, less supported, and disproportionately affected by climate change.' The council also called for a nationally consistent 'truth-telling curriculum' for students from 'early childhood through to vocational and tertiary education'. It would 'establish cultural competency and anti-racism as baseline expectations'. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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