Indigenous groups to be consulted about the future of cricket fixtures played on Australia Day

Cricket Australia will return to scheduling matches on Australia Day – but not before gauging the views of its Indigenous advisory group and committing to fixtures on the controversial date.

Cricket Australia will forge ahead with scheduling matches on Australia Day in coming seasons.

But the governing body has committed to working closely with its Indigenous advisory group to ensure the staging of cricket on the public holiday is done sensitively.

For the first time in more than three decades, CA opted against putting a professional fixture on January 26 this summer.

Though the key driver for the decision this time was concerns from broadcasters around a clash with the Australian Open men’s singles final, dodging cricket on Australia Day also spared cricket what has become annual rigmarole around the appropriateness of playing on a day largely recognised as one of mourning for First Nations people, and how the day should be marked when matches do fall on the date.

CA earlier this year backflipped on a decision not to mention the phrase “Australia Day” in-venue at the Gabba during the Australia-West Indies men’s Test that coincided with the day, while women’s star Ash Gardner, a Muruwari woman, had previously voiced her disagreement with the national side playing on January 26.

Ashleigh Gardner has been a vocal critic of playing cricket on January 26. Picture: Getty

Given the new women’s future tours program means the Aussie women are unlikely to be playing at home in January for the foreseeable future beyond this summer, and the fact CA has sought to clear men’s white-ball internationals from that month, it is the Big Bash League finals most likely to be played on Australia Day for the time being.

That fact is recognised in CA’s latest reconciliation action plan for the next three years, released this week.

As part of the document, the general manager of the Big Bash Leagues – currently Alistair Dobson – is charged with the task of “In collaboration with NATSICAG (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cricket Advisory Group), develop a place-based approach and guide to engage with traditional owners to respectfully deliver cricket on 26 January.”

Cricket on Australia Day is set to make a comeback – with some conditions. Picture: Getty

Tellingly in the 48-page document, the only explicit mention of “Australia Day” comes in a timeline of CA’s reconciliation history, noting that in 2021 the phrase was excluded from all marketing of cricket on January 26.

All other mentions of the date in the document refer to it as “26 January.”

The plan also outlines an aim to “encourage Big Bash clubs, state and territory cricket associations and Premier and community cricket clubs to host and align the scheduling of annual reconciliation celebration matches.”

Racism is also addressed, with the plan mandating “regular awareness campaigns on everyday racism, highlighting reporting avenues and processes,” education to senior leaders and managers on the toll of racism including “face-to-face training on understanding attitudes or stereotypes that unconsciously alter perceptions or understanding of experiences, affecting behaviours, interactions and decision making; and embedding it into induction

processes for new senior leader and managers” as well as player-narrated anti-racism messages to be displayed at International matches.

Originally published as Indigenous groups to be consulted about the future of cricket fixtures played on Australia Day