UOW brings in ‘respectful work arrangement’ for 26 Jan – will others follow suit?

Employees from the University of Wollongong  (UOW) will have the capacity to work flexibly on  26 January – a public holiday for Australia Day – instead of taking the day as a public holiday in a show of respect for First Nations people.

Australia Day is a public holiday held to mark the date that a British fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788 to start a penal colony. For many First Nations people, the date brings about feelings of invasion, survival and murder.

For 2023, the University’s leadership acknowledged that 26 January is not a celebration day for all Australians, recognising the turbulent history around that date and the painful associations it may have for Indigenous communities.

The decision was reached as part of the University’s commitment to advancing reconciliation in Australia and inspiring a better future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities through education, research and partnership.

All fixed-term and permanent employees of the University will have the flexibility to work on 26 January instead of taking the day as a public holiday. Those who choose to work on 26 January may select a substitute day for the public holiday on either Friday 27 January or Monday 30 January. The change in working arrangements has been agreed to by the University’s staff unions.

The decision, UOW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Patricia M. Davidson said, is an important step in ensuring UOW staff’s diverse perspectives are valued and respected.

“I am hopeful that 2023 will provide us with outcomes that unite all Australians through a referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our Constitution,” she added.

To view the University’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) please see here.