Why mourning remains central to Australia Day for First Nations communities
Australia Day is a moment for reflection for many Indigenous Australians.
For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, January 26 is not a day of celebration. It is a day of mourning. A moment to reflect on invasion, dispossession and the enduring impacts of colonisation that continue to shape lives, systems and stories across this country. It is a time to mourn the loss of so many people, the damage to culture and the destruction of country and sacred sites.
In South Australia, the story of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is acknowledged through Mourning in the Morning, a First Nations-led ceremony held on Australia Day.
Guided by the theme Our Continuing Journey, the ceremony reflects the strength and continuity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, honours Ancestors, and affirms an ongoing responsibility to care for Country and support future generations.
Shaped collaboratively with the Australia Day Council of South Australia, Mourning in the Morning provides a respectful platform for First Nations voices and perspectives. In the context of recent public debate about freedom of expression, the ceremony underscores the importance of open, respectful dialogue and acknowledges that people arrive at Australia Day with different experiences and views, requiring a willingness to listen, to hold space for different stories, and to ensure voices are heard and given respect without violence or exclusion.
As such, First Nations people extend a respectful invitation to all South Australians to attend and stand alongside First Nations peoples, listen deeply and reflect together.
The ceremony opens with Welcome to Country and a smoking ceremony, followed by keynote addresses, panel discussions and performances by First Nations artists and cultural leaders, reflecting more than 65,000 years of continuing culture carried through language, family, land and water.
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For eminent barrister Tony McAvoy SC, who will deliver a keynote at the event, Mourning in the Morning is also a vital act of honesty.
“Mourning on this day acknowledges the reality that Australia was founded on the dispossession of First Nations peoples,” McAvoy says. “Truth-telling is not about blame. It’s about honesty which is essential if we are serious about justice and understanding.”
McAvoy, a Wirdi man from Central Queensland and Australia’s first Indigenous Senior Counsel, has spent his career working at the intersection of native title, land rights and environmental law, including such important roles as Co-Senior Counsel assisting the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory, commonly known as the Don Dale Review, which exposed systemic failures within Australia’s juvenile justice system, and more recently the Yoorrook Justice Commission which was the truth telling process in Victoria.
He says recognising First Nations sovereignty and survival is central to modern Australia having a full and unvarnished understanding of itself, and that we are almost there.
“Our continuing journey is about recognising that Indigenous law, culture and connection to land were never extinguished,” he says. “They persist. They inform who we are as a nation today. Most people in Australia understand and respect those fundamental truths. The real question is how we give the ongoing relationships between people and country the legal and moral respect that is due.”
The ceremony also centres intergenerational leadership and community-led dialogue, with a dedicated in-conversation segment bringing together Indigenous voices from across legal, cultural and community sectors.
Ngarrindjeri woman Deb Moyle, who has spent more than four decades working in Aboriginal community development and justice reform, says the morning ceremony reflects both grief and resilience.
“This is a space for our Elders, for our young people, and for non-Indigenous South Australians who want to listen and learn,” Moyle says. “Our continuing journey is about strengthening identity, honouring survival and walking forward together with respect.”
Moyle says Mourning in the Morning is not only about remembering the past but about responsibility in the present and looking to the future.
“We are still here,” she says. “We are still leading. And our communities continue to build pathways for future generations grounded in culture, care and self-determination.”
As the ceremony closes, participants are invited to reflect quietly, a reminder that this journey is collective, ongoing and unfinished.
Mourning in the Morning does not attempt to resolve the complexities of Australia Day. Instead, it asks something more fundamental: that the day begins with truth, respect and recognition, and that our nation’s story be told in full.
Letisha Ackland, director of Balya Productions and event lead for Mourning in the Mourning, says she rarely works on events held on January 26 unless they are First Nations-led and culturally safe.
“Being engaged by the Australia Day Council of South Australia to lead the curation of speakers and performers for Mourning in the Morning has been grounded in genuine respect, trust and support,” she says. “The process has centred First Nations voices and community leadership, demonstrating what meaningful collaboration can look like when our voices are trusted to lead.”
Mourning in the Morning will be held at Elder Park/Tarntanya Wama from 7.30am to 8.45am on Monday, January 26. The event is free and open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous South Australians alike. Full program details can be found here.
