Medical students have called on the Australian government to act with leadership and dignity by ceasing annual Australia Day celebrations on the 26th of January. 

 “Tomorrow marks two-hundred and thirty-three years of dispossession and degradation of First Nations peoples, cultures and Country,” Sophie Keen, President of the Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA), said today.

 “Continued celebration on this date in spite of persistent annual protest reveals that, as a county, we are not sorry, and we do not respect nor value First Nations voices.”

 First Nations communities continue to experience significantly poorer health outcomes than the non-Indigenous population, including across areas of mental health and wellbeing. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience high or very high levels of psychological distress at nearly three times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians.

 In 2017 we witnessed the damage that public debate surrounding the same sex marriage plebiscite had on the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ Australians. We express similar concerns for the psychological distress that could arise from annual Australia Day debates.

The Australian Psychological Society and Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association have previously voiced similar concerns around the potential harm to the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous Australians subjected to this yearly public debate. 

 “Every year the Australia Day debate facilitates public dialogue on historic and ongoing racism. This can be harmful when conversations are led by individuals unimpacted or advantaged by the status quo, and even more so when people in positions of authority discredit the lived experience of others,” Ms Keen said.

It is clear that racial discrimination harms mental health. Over half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who experience racial discrimination report feelings of psychological distress. Studies have also shown that subtle forms of racial discrimination are just as harmful to mental health as more overt forms. 

 A poll conducted on a youth social media platform showed that more than half of those surveyed believed the date should be changed. With public support for a date change growing, AMSA believes that continuing to debate the issue is causing unnecessary harm.

Indigenous Health is a national priority for AMSA, and Indigenous medical students and doctors are fundamental in efforts to address the systemic inequity that perpetuates poorer health outcomes for First Nations peoples.

AMSA is the peak representative body for Australia’s 17,000 medical students. AMSA is a non-Indigenous organisation that respects and acknowledges the voice of Indigenous bodies in this space. AMSA will continue to advocate for First Nations peoples and the elimination of existing inequities through policies that enable self-determination and have undergone thorough community consultation.