By Aunty Munya Andrews
Aboriginal Elder, Author, and Co-Director, Evolve Communities
This reflection was written by Aunty Munya Andrews in the lead-up to January 26. It invites us to sit with complexity, listen deeply, and consider what belonging and responsibility ask of us as a nation.
In recent weeks, Australians have been confronted again by violence that has shaken the nation, stirring grief and fear while reminding us that this continent has long carried unacknowledged histories of harm. It has been a moment that has exposed the fragility of our social cohesion and the cost of unresolved fracture.
As we hold that unease, we are also moving toward January 26, preparing to mark a national day that begins with an act far more catastrophic for First Nations peoples. The invasion of this continent and the dispossession, violence, and trauma that followed did not end in the past. They continue to shape lives, relationships, and institutions today.
These two moments are not the same and should never be compared. But they do sit alongside each other in our national consciousness, and together they reveal something important. They show us what happens when a nation avoids difficult conversations for too long.
January 26 has always been a day of deep complexity. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, it is a day of grief and remembrance. It marks the beginning of invasion and the ongoing impacts of dispossession.
What is changing now is that discomfort is no longer carried only by First Nations peoples.
Increasingly, many non-Indigenous Australians feel conflicted about this day as well. Long-standing allies, people who have stood alongside First Nations communities, are struggling to reconcile pride in this country with sorrow for how it was claimed.
January 26 is not a day everyone can celebrate. It causes real hurt and division in our community. When a national day consistently wounds a significant part of the population, that is not something to dismiss as inconvenience or political noise. It is a question of belonging.
Yet each year, we hear the same response. It is too hard. Too divisive. Better not to talk about it.
This instinct to avoid is not new. We see it whenever conversations threaten comfort or identity. In the aftermath of recent violence, we have seen how quickly fear can harden positions.
These issues, while not the same, both expose a national failure.
Our reluctance to confront social fracture early and together.
In my work over many years, I have learned that progress does not come from shame, blame, or guilt. Shame shuts people down. Blame entrenches defensiveness. Guilt paralyses action. None of these help us move forward.
First Nations peoples have offered something far more powerful and far more generous. An invitation.
Despite everything that has happened on this land, Aboriginal people have continued to invite others into relationships. Come and sit with us. Come and listen. Come and learn. Come and walk together. This invitation has always been grounded in the belief that everyone belongs to this Country, but belonging comes with responsibility.
One of our oldest teachings is dadirri, often described as deep listening. Dadirri is not about winning arguments or proving who is right. It is about stillness, patience, and respect. It asks us to slow down, to listen with our whole bodies, and to sit with discomfort without rushing to dismiss or fix it.
Australia could learn a great deal from dadirri right now.
We are becoming a louder and more polarised country. Positions harden quickly. People retreat into camps. Listening is mistaken for weakness, and curiosity feels risky. Australia Day has become part of that pattern, reduced to slogans and culture wars rather than treated as a relationship that needs care.
People often ask, “If not January 26, then when?” That question matters, but it is not the place to start. We do not need consensus on a new date before we can acknowledge harm. We do not need agreement before we can listen.
The deeper question is what values we want a national day to reflect.
Belonging.
Truth.
Care.
Shared responsibility.
A national day should not require some people to silence their pain so others can feel comfortable. It should make room for the full story of this Country and for everyone who belongs to it.
After recent events, Australians are asking what holds us together when fear threatens to pull us apart. January 26 asks the same question in a different way. Will we choose avoidance, or will we choose listening?
This Country is capable of holding grief and pride at the same time. We can honour survival without celebrating suffering. We can acknowledge the past without being trapped by it. And we can learn from the oldest continuing cultures in the world how to listen more deeply.
That is where real healing begins.
This reflection was also published externally in the Sydney Morning Herald and Age.
Continuing the conversation
In the days around January 26, Aunty Munya Andrews and Carla Rogers also shared reflections in televised conversations, continuing this discussion in different public spaces.
You can watch those conversations here:
- ABC News – Aunty Munya Andrews and Carla Rogers on listening, belonging, and how Australians might hold January 26 with care
- Sky News – Aunty Munya Andrews and Carla Rogers discussing Australia Day, complexity, and the importance of calm, respectful dialogue
These conversations echo the same invitation – to pause, to listen deeply, and to resist the urge to rush to answers.
Join us for a Yarn
We invite you to gather with us around the virtual fire — a space to reflect, ask questions, and explore how you can walk forward with purpose. Together, we’ll deepen our understanding and take meaningful steps toward Reconciliation in a genuine, practical way.
