What is Australia Day?

Australia Day is the official national day of Australia, marked each year on 26 January. The date is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788, when Captain Arthur Phillip raised the British flag and formally claimed the colony of New South Wales for the Crown.

The day has been celebrated in some form since the 1830s, originally in New South Wales as Foundation Day or Anniversary Day. It became a national public holiday observed on 26 January in all states and territories from 1994, replacing earlier arrangements where some states observed it on the nearest Monday. The day is now an official public holiday across Australia.

Australia Day events include the announcement of Australian of the Year awards by the Prime Minister at the National Australia Day Council ceremony in Canberra on the evening of 25 January, citizenship ceremonies held by local councils on 26 January at which more than 16,000 new citizens are typically conferred, fireworks, regattas on Sydney Harbour, public concerts, and barbecues in homes and parks. The day is also observed by the announcement of the Australia Day Honours List, recognising contributions to public life through the Order of Australia.

Many Indigenous Australians and their supporters mark 26 January differently, calling it Invasion Day or Survival Day. Public protests and alternative events, often called Yabun in Sydney, take place alongside the official celebrations. Pressure to move the date or to rename the day has grown over recent decades, particularly since the 1988 bicentenary protests, but as of 2026 no formal proposal to change the date has secured majority support in Parliament.