Channel Ten boycotts the annual celebration of January 26, aka Australia Day

Ten Network has made the first step in advocating for First Nations people as it opposes the celebration of January 26.

In an email leaked to The Australian’s Media Diary column, the key programming and editorial staff received correspondence from Ten’s forthright chief content officer Beverley McGarvey noting January 26 was “not a day of celebration”.

“At Paramount ANZ we aim to create a safe place to work where cultural differences are appreciated, understood and respected,” she wrote.

Beverley confessed she would not address January 26 as ‘Australia Day’ and proceeded to give her reasoning.

“For our First Nations people, we as an organisation acknowledge that January 26 is not a day of celebration. We recognise that there has been a turbulent history, particularly around that date and the recognition of that date being Australia Day,” she said.

“We recognise that January 26 evokes different emotions for our employees across the business and we are receptive to employees who do not feel comfortable taking this day as a public holiday.”

However, individuals working at Ten have been given options to choose from depending on their beliefs.

“Upon individual requests, all employees will have the option to work on January 26 and substitute the public holiday for another day in line with business requirements and approval from their manager,” Beverley wrote.

“We recognise and appreciate that this is a personal choice.”

“Whether you choose to work on January 26 or take the public holiday, we ask that you reflect and respect the different perspectives and viewpoints of all Australians.”

Since 1935, Australian states have been celebrating ‘Australia Day’. Three years later in 1938, Indigenous communities protested the date, calling it ‘Day of Mourning’.

In the following years, January 26 has earned many names including ‘Invasion Day’ and ‘Survival Day’.

While many take advantage of the public holiday, people are encouraged to instead attend events rallying against Australia Day or donate to Indigenous charities.