Anthony Albanese pledges to keep Australia Day on January 26

Labor’s leader backs January 26 for the national day, but wants to do more to make indigenous Australians feel more included.

Anthony Albanese is backing January 26 to remain as Australia Day. Picture: Colin Murty.

Anthony Albanese has pledged to keep Australia Day on January 26, but wants to do more to make indigenous Australians feel more included in the divisive national holiday.

The Australian has revealed the Opposition Leader will be targeted by right-wing activist group Advance Australia on Thursday, as it launches a campaign to expose splits inside Labor over shifting the national holiday.

After failing to clarify to The Australian he supported the January 26 date, Mr Albanese told Sydney’s 2GB radio on Thursday morning that he does back the date.

“Yes I am, and I have said that many times,” he said.

“We need to unite Australia rather than engage in culture wars, it’s very counter-productive.”

Contacted by The Australian on Wednesday, Mr Albanese — who will deliver an Australia Day speech in the Blue Mountains — would not clarify his support for the national holiday remaining on January 26 if the referendum did not take place or was voted down.

Australia Day Graphic showing show wants to change it.

His spokeswoman said he supported Australia Day but also “supports constitutional recognition of indigenous people, including a voice, and has suggested a constructive way forward that would be a unifying moment for our nation”.

In 2018, Mr Albanese delivered a speech proposing a twin referendum be held on Australia Day on indigenous constitutional recognition and the republic.

On Thursday, Mr Albanese said he understood the pain January 26 – the date of the arrival of the First Fleet – still causes many indigenous Australians who see it as a celebration of colonialism.

“Modern Australia is connected with the arrival of migrants but that had an impact, a terrible impact, a devastating impact indeed on First Australians,” he told 2GB radio.

“One of the things I have found when I visit Australia Day ceremonies that that is very much front and centre. It’s been an opportunity to educate on dispossession and the consequences that had.”

Advance Australia national director Liz Storer said the Labor leader needed to publicly support Australia Day remaining on January 26.

Mr Albanese, who faces pressure from his Left faction to change the date, previously said a referendum was a way to create a national “platform of unity” and end divisions over Australia Day.

Polling last week by Advance Australia in Labor MP Anne Aly’s marginal West Australian seat of Cowan and opposition Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers’s outer suburban electorate of Rankin revealed 86 per cent of voters were “proud to celebrate Australia Day on January 26”.

Mr Albanese’s local council, led by former staffer Darcy Byrne, is making a move to shift all Australia Day events to another date. He did not comment on this when asked by The Australian about his views.

Councils banning citizenship ceremonies and Australia Day events have been warned by Alan Tudge to “do the right thing”.