The novelist Henry James wrote: ″Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.”
A kind approach based on empathy, respect and compassion, would acknowledge the trauma to First Nations people of celebrating Australia Day on the date British colonisation began at Sydney Cove.
That date marked the start of dispossession, violence, and cultural devastation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
A kind approach would seek to find a date to celebrate our nationhood that is inclusive of all Australians.
First published in letters to The Age on 24 January 2026
