Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s First Peoples and the Traditional Owners of the lands, waterways and skies where we live, work and play.
Australia Day is the annual, official National Day of Australia and is observed on 26 January, marking the landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and the raising of the Union Jack, thus claiming it as British and beginning the colonisation of this land. Also known as Survival Day and Invasion Day, this day is not a day of celebration for all Australians, but a day that reminds many of the genocide and dispossession of land and culture that followed.
The staff and Board of WHISE stand in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Bunurong Lands, noting sovereignty was never ceded and that this always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
We recognise and value the voices, strength and resilience of First Nations women across the Kulin Nation.
As part of our commitment to truth-listening and truth-telling, we stand in solidarity with the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Staff at WHISE are supported to work on 26 January, if they choose, and instead are offered the opportunity to work another day to celebrate this beautiful country that we are privileged to call home.
WHISE will be open for business on Thursday, 26 January 2023 and will operate during regular business hours.
For further information please contact:
Kit McMahon
Chief Executive Officer, WHISE