Explanation of Survival / Invasion Day - >> The 26th of January, 1778, is widely recognised as the day Europeans colonised Australia, and the 26th of January each year is officially recognised as 'Australia Day' >> This does not recognise the way in which Australia was colonised - there were already hundreds of different tribes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in Australia at the time >> This was overlooked - to colonise Australia it has to be declared empty of any other ownership, so anyone already living there was considered by the British to not be a person so that they were able to claim the land >> This was called terra nullius, the law was overturned in the 1990s >> The 26th of January is considered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people as a day of mourning, called Invasion/Survival Day, and during it they recognise and commemorate the pain, struggles, and discrimination they and their ancestors have faced. >> Australia Day is to Columbus Day as Survival Day is to Indigenous Peoples Day. >> It is not a day to celebrate. It marks the beginning of mass dispossession of land, hundreds of years of violence and discrimination, and near genocide for Indgenous people in Australia.
If you want more information research Invasion Day, Eddie Mabo case, or terra nullius
