Significant dates
January 26: A day of mourning and survival
January 26 marks the beginning of dispossession, loss and trauma – yet it also symbolises extraordinary strength, resistance and continuity of the world’s oldest living cultures.
On 26 January 1938, Yorta Yorta Elder Uncle William Cooper and members of the Aboriginal Progressive Association organised the first Day of Mourning – Australia’s first national Aboriginal civil rights protest. Held on the 150th anniversary of colonisation, it called out dispossession and injustice and laid the foundation for ongoing movements toward justice and equity.
We continue to honour Uncle William Cooper through our programs at the William Cooper Institute, an integral part of the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) and Senior Vice-President.
For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 26 January is also known as Survival Day – a time to recognise the enduring strength of culture, community and connection to Country. Survival Day events across Australia celebrate resistance and resilience, often beginning with Dawn Services that honour the Day of Mourning.
This year, we’re also proudly sponsoring Our Survival Day led by Our songlines. If you wish to support this event, you can purchase tickets here or register as a volunteer.
Event details:
Our Survival Day is a powerful, grassroots, Indigenous‑led community gathering held each year on 26 January at the Briars National Park on the Mornington Peninsula. The event creates a welcoming, culturally safe space for mob and allies to come together in celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, strength and resilience.
It’s a vibrant family day out, packed with activities for kids, an incredible lineup of First Nations musicians and performers, dance, storytelling, art and hands‑on workshops. With a strong focus on culture, education, food and sustainability, the event is proudly zero‑waste and includes a tree‑planting day later in the year to help offset emissions.
If you choose to take the public holiday and you’re looking for a meaningful way to spend the day while supporting community, culture and connection, this is a beautiful opportunity to be part of it.
The William Cooper Institute is proud to be a sponsor for a second year.
Event: Our Survival Day: 'Her Story; Matriarchs of 2026'
Where: The Briars National Park, Mt Martha
Date: Monday 26, January 2026
Time: 12:00 - 5:00pm
Tickets: free for mob and $32.80 for others
Other events happening across the nation on January 26.
Other dates of significance
13 February ‐ National Apology Day
Anniversary of the formal apology made on 13 February 2008 by the government and the Parliament of Australia to Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people ‐ in particular to the Stolen Generations.
17 - 21 March - Harmony Day
Harmony Day takes place on 21 March each year, which the United Nations commemorates as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
This day offers a great opportunity for all Australians to celebrate multiculturalism and diversity within our communities. It also promotes respect and inclusivity for migrants and diverse cultures.
20 March ‐ National Close the Gap Day
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are still dying 10 to 17 years younger than other Australians. For that reason, more than 40 national organisations came together in 2006 to form Close the Gap ‐ Australia's largest ever campaign to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Close the Gap day is an opportunity for organisations and community to hold events and raise awareness of the Indigenous health crisis.
26 May ‐ National Sorry Day
National Sorry Day acknowledges the impact of the policies spanning more than 150 years of forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998 following the 1997 HREOC report Bringing Them Home which recommended that a national day of observance be declared.
27 May - 3 June ‐ National Reconciliation Week
National Reconciliation Week was initiated in 1996 to provide a special focus for nationwide activities. The week is a time to reflect on achievements so far and the things which must still be done to achieve reconciliation.
National Reconciliation Week offers people across Australia the opportunity to focus on reconciliation, to hear about the cultures and histories of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to explore new and better ways of meeting challenges in our communities. The Week is timed to coincide with two significant dates in Australia’s history, which provide strong symbols of our hopes and aims for reconciliation: 27 May and 3 June.
27 May ‐ Anniversary of 1967 Referendum
In 1967 over 90% of Australians voted in a Referendum to remove clauses from the Australian Constitution which discriminated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. The Referendum also gave the Commonwealth Government the power to make laws on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
3 June ‐ MABO Day
Mabo Day marks the anniversary of the High Court of Australia’s judgement in 1992 in the Mabo case. This is a day of particular significance for Torres Strait Islander Australians.
Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo’s name is synonymous with native title rights. His story began in May 1982 when he and fellow Murray (Mer) Islanders David Passi, Sam Passi, James Rice and Celuia Salee instituted a claim in the High Court for native title to the Murray (Mer) Islands in the Torres Strait.
The claim was made against the State of Queensland, which responded by seeking to legislate to extinguish retrospectively any native title on the Islands. This was challenged in the High Court on the grounds that it was inconsistent with the 1975 Racial Discrimination Act. The High Court, in an historical judgement delivered on 3 June 1992, accepted the claim by Eddie Mabo and the other claimants that their people (the Meriam people) had occupied the Islands of Mer for hundreds of years before the arrival of the British. The High Court found that the Meriam people were ‘entitled as against the whole world to possession, occupation, use and enjoyment of lands in the Murray Islands.’ The decision overturned a legal fiction that Australia was terra nullius (a land belonging to no one) at the time of British colonisation.
1 July ‐ Coming of the Light
This is a particular day of significance for Torres Strait Islander Australians. It marks the day the London Missionary Society first arrived in the Torres Strait. The missionaries landed at Erub Island on 1 July 1871.
Religious and cultural ceremonies are held by Torres Strait Islander Christians across the Torres Strait and on the mainland to commemorate this day.
6 - 13 July - National NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC Week is observed from the first Sunday in July to the second Sunday in July each year.
NAIDOC celebrations are held around Australia to celebrate the histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The week is celebrated not just in the Indigenous community, but also increasingly in government agencies, schools, local councils and workplaces. Wherever you live, taking part in NAIDOC Week is a great way to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to build bridges between all Australians. NAIDOC stands for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week, and its acronym has become the name of the week itself.
NAIDOC Week 2024 will be held from Sunday 6 July to Sunday 13 July and the theme is Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud.
4 August - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day
National Aboriginal and Islander Children's Day (NAICD) is an annual event celebrated on 4 August each year, having been established by Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) in 1988. Each year, SNAICC has a theme for Children's Day to highlight a significant issue, concern or hope for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. SNAICC encourages all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations, mainstream child and family welfare services, government agencies, schools, preschools, child care services and any organisations with an interest in children to celebrate National Aboriginal and Islander Children’s Day.
9 August - International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
The United Nations’ (UN) International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed on August 9 each year to promote and protect the rights of the world’s Indigenous population. This event also recognises the achievements and contributions that Indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection.
4 September - Indigenous Literacy Day
Access to books and other reading resources can be limited within remote communities in Australia, which can have a detrimental impact on children's literacy and development. Indigenous Literacy Day raises awareness of the educational barriers that many First Nations Peoples face.
20 - 27 October - Aboriginal Languages Week
This week aligns with the NSW parliament passing the Aboriginal Languages Act in 2017. This week highlights the importance of education and support for First Nations Languages and signifies how important languages are to First Nations Countries and Cultures.
10 December - Anniversary of Human Rights Day
This date commemorates the day in 1948 that the UN established the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights’. (source: United Nations)
24 December - Anniversary of the Native Title Act
The High court recognised in 1992 the Native Title Act, which protects and recognises Native Titles. This recognises the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to hold the title to waters and lands, in line with their traditional First Nations customs and Cultures.