January 26th

Invasion Day, Day of Mourning, Survival Day

Always was, always will be.

The Medical Students’ Aid Project (MSAP) recognises the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land, and further recognise that this land remains unceded and was stolen. We acknowledge their continuing connections to land, waters and culture of Australia, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

 MSAP stands in solidarity with First Nations Peoples, and publicly commits to observing January 26th as Invasion Day, Day of Mourning and Survival Day. January 26th marks a date that began a history of colonisation, dispossession and disenfranchisement of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and as such, cannot be celebrated as ‘Australia Day’.

Throughout the year, we will continue to highlight opportunities to engage with active reconciliation to our members and broader community. We encourage our community of members to seek, and engage with the lived experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, now and continuing into the future, and pledge to use our platform to raise awareness and understanding of these issues.

MSAP has been a global health group that promotes equitable health access for all individuals, and over the past two decades we have implemented humanitarian projects both in Australia and globally. As detailed in the Message from Our 2022 Co-Chairs, we aim to focus on decolonising global health in our future activities, and we acknowledge that this must first occur on a local level.

MSAP 2022 Executive

To support the continued reconciliation movement, and to closing the gap, we invite you to provide tangible contributions to: 

Indigenous Literacy Foundation, which works with over 400 remote organisations across Australia to increase early literacy amongst Indigenous populations, and the publication of Indigenous culture https://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/

Healing Foundation, which supports Stolen Generations survivors, families and communities  https://healingfoundation.org.au/

North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, which provides free legal advice, support and representation for Aboriginal people and their families in the Northern Territory https://www.naaja.org.au/

Supply Nation, which offers an opportunity for greater conscious consumption, as the largest national database of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses https://supplynation.org.au/

To learn more, please head to these sources:

Closing the Gap – framework to reduce the systemic disadvantage that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people experience https://www.closingthegap.gov.au/

Common Ground – First Nations-led non-profit that amplifies First Nations knowledge, culture and stories https://www.commonground.org.au/

Reconciliation Australia – leading non-profit national body that seeks to include all Australians in the path of reconciliation https://www.reconciliation.org.au/