WA sports stars and influencers have joined the push to change the date of Australia Day, rallying their social media followers to boycott celebrations.
Amid the fierce debate over whether to continue celebrating Australia Day on January 26 followers were urged to donate to First Nations charities, practise self-care and join Invasion Day rallies across the country.
West Coast Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui was among the first to his 152,000 Instagram followers, sharing a poignant spiel.
“Australia Day has been a nationally recognised public holiday on Jan 26 since 1994. Aboriginal people have been marching on Jan 26 since 1938. Let that sink in,” it read.
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READ NOWWA rockers Spacey Jane, which recently scored third place on the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown, told their 116,000 followers: “White Australia has a Blak History”.
“We stand in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Always was, always will be” the band wrote.
Meanwhile, Perth Bachelorette star Brooke Blurton, who has long campaigned for a change to the date, recognised the “pain” her fellow Indigenous Australians felt about January 26.
Blurton, who made history in 2021 as the first Indigenous and bisexual woman to be Australia’s Bachelorette, shared some supportive words on Instagram on Tuesday.
“Calling all mob. Tomorrow is a big day for us. A day of anxiousness, pain, mourning,” she wrote.
“Self care is a priority tonight. Do something for you if you can. Run a bath. Meditate. Stretch. Order takeout/ or dessert. Do something and don’t feel guilty about it. You. Got. This.”
Her reality TV bestie Abbie Chatfield, who she infamously fell out with after she dated one of her love matches, called for her fans to take part in marches across the country, sharing a link to locations.
She also called out tokenism, calling for all fully-vaccinated Australians who have taken part in “social media activism” to join the rallies.
Kalgoorlie-raised actor Meyne Wyatt has called for Australia Day to be “abolished” and the country to “decolonise” ahead of January 26.
Both AFLW Fremantle Dockers player Roxanne Kanga Roux and four-time Olympic champion Libby Trickett have called for Australians to boycott celebrations today.
Western Australian designer Poppy Lissiman shared posts on both her personal Instagram and brand account with a collective 308,000 followers calling for donations to First Nations charities Pay The Rent, Aboriginal Legal Services and Black Rainbow.
Nathan McGuire, who has previously been named a “leading light in the Australian fashion industry and a resounding voice for Indigenous equality” posed in a photo adorning a Clothing the Gaps tee with the caption “ALWAYS WAS, ALWAYS WILL BE, ABORIGINAL LAND 🖤💛❤️”
The Yorta Yorta country-born model also shared a message on his Instagram story to Indigenous Australians.
“To all my mob out there today. Look after yourself and your spirit. Surround yourself with mob. Protest fiercely. Wear Blak brands unapologetically. Look out for each other. Our old people watch over us so remember that and feel that when you are walking on Our Lands.” he wrote.