oth its customers and teams – sparked a flood of angry comments on Facebook, with many people vowing never to shop at Kmart again.  But for some Indigenous business leaders, it was a welcome and all-too rare example of a major retailer recognising the painful history of 26 January for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  The date marks the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788, and many First Nations people view it as a day of mourning.  “I feel like Kmart has listened to the concerns of Indigenous Australians, and responded in a way that is both kind and inclusive,” Aunty Munya Andrews, an Aboriginal elder and co-director of cultural awareness and training company Evolve Communities, told Inside Retail.   “It’s important because Kmart is such a high profile Australian brand,” added Carla Rogers, the other co-director of Evolve Communities. Andrews and Rogers, who is not Indigenous, co-wrote the book, Practical Reconciliation.   “By taking this action, they are helping raise awareness about the issue of celebrating on January 26th. It’s an impressive example of allyship,” Rogers said.  Carla Rogers and Aunty Munya Andrews, co-directors of Evolve Communities. Source: Supplied Changing sentiment Australia Day has officially been celebrated on 26 January since 1994, but public sentiment around the holiday has changed in recent years.  According to the ABC’s latest Australia Talks National Survey, conducted in 2021, 55 per cent of people believe Australia Day should not be celebrated on 26 January, given the historical significance of the date for Indigenous people. That’s a jump of 12 percentage points from the last survey, conducted in 2019.  In light of this, it’s not surprising that consumer-facing businesses are taking a new approach to Australia Day.  A company spokesperson told Inside Retail that Australia Day has not traditionally been a major product event for Kmart Australia, and that it has reduced its range of Australia Day-themed products over a number of years.  “While we don’t currently sell any merchandise that is specific to Australia Day, we do celebrate Australia through a number of product ranges year round that feature designs with Australian flora and fauna including homewares, toys, books and party goods, which we regularly showcase with our customers,” the spokesperson said. In addition to phasing out its Australia Day-themed merchandise, Kmart is also giving team members the choice of whether or not they work that day, and all but 11 of its 300-plus stores nationwide will be open for trading on 26 January.  “For casual team members, working on a public holiday is and remains voluntary, while salaried team members will be given the option to substitute their public holiday for another day off,” the spokesperson said.  “Team members have welcomed this ability to make a personal decision on how they choose to spend their day.” Woolworths has also told staff they can choose to work on January 26 and take another off at the discretion of their manager, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. A search for “Australia Day” products on Woolworths’ e-commerce site on 24 January turned up a number of themed products, including plates, serviettes and flags, though many of the items were marked “out of stock”.  However, a similar search on Big W’s e-commerce site did not yield any results, and simply referred to the “January long weekend”.  Beyond Australia Day Andrews noted that it’s important for businesses to recognise that there is no one way to mark the day, and people should be able to make an individual choice. But remaining silent, or ignoring history, isn’t an option.  “Some Aboriginal people do celebrate Australia Day and that’s great. That’s their choice. But we mustn’t forget that for a lot of people, it is considered an invasion day. For many Australians, 26 January can’t be seen as anything other than a day of mourning,” she said. And while Rogers welcomed the growing support for the Change the Date movement, she said that people need to think more about their actions beyond Australia Day.  “First Nations people need the support of allies every day, not just on January 26th,” she said. “We encourage all organisations to provide Indigenous cultural awareness and ally training to their employees throughout the year, and to take steps to ensure they are creating a culturally safe and inclusive workplace.” Displaying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags and acknowledging country are two meaningful ways that organisations can show respect and provide a welcoming space for First Nations people throughout the year, she said.