Stars are taking to social media to lend their voices to the Australia Day debate

A number of Aussie celebs have thrown their support behind changing the date of Australia Day with passionate social media displays.

As protests over Australia Day intensify across the country, Aussie celebs are making their voices heard on social media.

Stars including Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Abbie Chatfield, The Veronicas and MasterChef judge Melissa Leong have posted passionate messages today imploring their followers to educate themselves on the history surrounding the ongoing debate.

Many have thrown their support behind the move to change the date to better include Australia’s First Nations people, many of whom recognise January 26th as the day the marginalisation of Indigenous Australians began.

RELATED: ‘Invasion Day’ heats up as cops clash with protesters

Chris Hemsworth is among many celebrities who agrees that the date should be changed.

Posting a bunch of photos on Instagram with the Gamay dancers of the Gadigal and Bidiagal Nation and Maori dancers from Te Aranganui, Hemsworth made his plea.

“A beautiful start to our shoot today with a Welcome to Country ceremony from the Gamay dancers of the Gadigal and Bidiagal Nation and performance and karakia by Maori dancers from Te Aranganui.

Indigenous Australians may be just as proud of this country, but many see January 26th as a date signifying the beginning of dispossession, disease epidemics, frontier violence, destruction of culture, exploitation, abuse, separation of families and subjection to policies of extreme social control. Let’s begin the healing and stand together in unity and support with our First Nations people with solidarity and compassion. Let’s find a date where all Australians can celebrate this beautiful country together. #changethedate.”

Model Jesinta Franklin, who is married to Indigenous AFL star Lance Franklin, was among the celebrities lending their voices to the debate for changing the date, posting a strong message to followers along with a photo of her at the beach.

Sharing the words “always was, always will be” in recognition of Australia being the land of the First Nations, she wrote: “Today I pay my respects and stand in solidarity with the Traditional owners of this land, on this day of mourning.

“It’s time to abolish the date and as a country acknowledge that today is not the day to be celebrating. There is no pride in genocide.”

RELATED: ABC slammed for Invasion Day ‘disrespect’

Chris’ brother, Hollywood actor Liam Hemsworth echoed the sentiment, uploading an image of the Aboriginal flag with the words “always was, always will be”.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were Australia’s first explorers, first navigators, first engineers, first farmers, first botanists, first scientists, first diplomats, first astronomers and first artists,” he wrote in the lengthy caption.

“The First Peoples engraved the world’s first maps, made the earliest paintings of ceremony and invented unique technologies … Our adaptation and intimate knowledge of Country enabled us to endure climate change, catastrophic droughts and rising sea levels.

“Always Was, Always Will Be. acknowledges that hundreds of Nations and our cultures covered this continent. All were managing the land – the biggest estate on earth – to sustainably provide for their future.”

Liam Hemsworth directed followers to Naidoc.org.au. Picture: FilmMagic.

MasterChef judge Melissa Leong shared a helpful list of Instagram pages to seek education from, writing to fans: “Today (and every other) is a day not only to recognise on social media why celebrating national pride on January 26 is wrong, but to listen, learn and act for positive change in real life.”

“Read. March. Donate. Clean your local area. Support indigenous artists, businesses and those working to inform and move the dial forward,” she wrote, adding: “We all have a responsibility to move together towards acknowledgment and healing. “

The Project’s Em Rusciano also weighed-in, writing: “It’s time to stop telling our First Nations people to ‘Just get over it’.

“Grief has no time limit, we don’t police grief. We cannot change the past but we can acknowledge the horrendous wrongs that occurred and take action to show we are serious about reconciliation.

“Changing the date would be one such action. This country needs a national day of celebration that is inclusive of ALL Australians. We currently don’t have one. So today you must: March, Donate, Educate YOURSELF.”

Radio presenters Ryan Fitzgerald and Meshel Laurie both shared the #changethedate hashtag, while I’m a Celeb star Abbie Chatfield told followers she would be marching in Brisbane in solidarity.

“This is a day of mourning and a protest for change,” she posted on her Stories, asking fans to refrain from taking photos of her throughout the day as it’s “not a time to have happy smiley pics.”

One half of The Veronicas, Jess Origliasso also took to her stories referring to January 26 as “Invasion Day”.

Abbie revealed she was attending Brisbane’s Invasion Day protest. Picture: Instagram

Jess Origliasso also supported changing the date. Picture: Instagram

Former Home And Away star Pia Miller similarly shared a post to her page and directed fans to Aboriginal owned and led social enterprise Clothing The Gap on her Story.

Indigenous model Sam Harris, however, told fans she didn’t agree with changing the date.

“Happy Survival day/Australia Day to everyone no matter how you celebrate today have a fantastic day as we all are so lucky to call this beautiful country home,” she wrote.

“Without getting too political as today is a very hurtful day as many educated people would know to indigenous Australians, do I think changing the date is a good idea?

“No I don’t as I think this is seen as hiding the wrongs of past and at the end of the day history is history and that cannot be changed good or bad.

“But Australia is a very multicultural country today and I am very proud to be an indigenous Australian woman.

“Today for me is about remembering the past but moving forward as well celebrating today with your family/friends/loved ones and your community however which way you choose to celebrate there is no wrong way just have respect for everyone and enjoy your day.”

Australia Day has been a national public holiday since 1994.

The debate around whether the date should be changed to better include Indigenous Australians has ramped up in recent years, with prevailing attitudes towards the day seemingly starting to shift this year.

January 26, 1788, was the day Arthur Phillip arrived in Sydney Cove and founded the settler colony of NSW, a day which is affiliated with a long history of violence and trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people given it is also the day the dispossession and marginalisation of Indigenous Australians began.

Polls conducted by Essential Media each year since 2015 show there has been a steady decline in people celebrating Australia Day.

This year just 29 per cent of more than 1000 people surveyed said they would be doing something to mark the day, down from 34 per cent the previous year and 40 per cent in 2019.

Research shows an increasing number of people are now treating January 26 as just another public holiday.

A further six per cent said they were working on the day and 12 per cent said they didn’t know.