AFL’s Port Adelaide releases statement calling for Australia Day change

AFL club Port Adelaide has released a statement calling for the date of Australia Day to change.

It comes just days after Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins, then star batter Steve Smith, both voiced their push for a rethink on the longstanding 26th January public holiday.

While AFL clubs have released statements in recent years, acknowledging the date is full of sadness for Australia’s Indigenous people, the statements by Port and the Bulldogs is stronger than ever.

Released yesterday, the statement from the Power advised “the Port Adelaide Football club acknowledges our First Nations people’s continuous connection to these lands for more than 60,000 years, and that the 26th of January represents a day of immense sadness and sorrow for many in our community.

“Our Club values the legacy of its past and current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, and contribution of First Nations staff, volunteers, and supporters.

“We are wholeheartedly committed to reconciliation, and building connections and relationships founded on trust, unity, and mutual prosperity.

“This commitment is reflected in our actions through creating pathways for First Nations people through the club’s Aboriginal programs, the development of our Reconciliation Action Plan, and the First Nations Advisory Committee.

“We look forward to a time when all Australians can celebrate our nation on a day everyone can feel proud, included, and unified.

“The Port Adelaide Football Club respects that everyone has the right to their own views. The Board, staff and players of the Port Adelaide Football Club support changing the date.”

AAP have also reported Western Bulldogs forward Arthur Jones as labelling 26th January a “day of mourning”.

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