Workplace Allies Ltd operates on unceded Aboriginal land. As a firm committed to social justice, we recognize that the history of work and wages in this country is deeply intertwined with the history of colonization.

For many Australians, January 26 represents a day off and a barbeque. But for others, it marks the beginning of the dispossession, violence, and systemic oppression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Because of this reality, our firm does not view today as a day for celebration. Instead, we view it as a day for mourning, for listening, for allyship and for committing to truth-telling.

Colonization is a Structure, Not an Event

It is a common misconception that the injustices against Indigenous Australians are confined to the distant past. There is often a sentiment that we should ‘move on’ from historical wrongs.

However, colonization was not a single event that happened in 1788. It is a structure whose consequences continue to shape the lives of First Nations peoples today. The gap in health outcomes, incarceration rates, employment outcomes and economic opportunity is not accidental – it is the direct and intended consequence of colonization.

Wage Theft on a National Scale

One of the most glaring examples of this ongoing injustice relates directly to employment law and workers’ rights.

For decades, spanning well into the 20th century, state and territory governments across Australia operated extensive control systems over Indigenous peoples’ lives and labor. Under various ‘protection’ acts, Indigenous workers were routinely contracted out to pastoral stations, domestic service, and other industries.

However, these workers often never saw their wages.

Their meagre earnings were frequently paid directly to government protectors, placed into trust accounts that were misappropriated by the state, or simply withheld entirely by employers with government sanction. This state-sponsored wage theft didn’t end in the colonial era. These programs persisted shockingly late into the 20th century, continuing in some states until the 1970s and even the mid-1980s.

There are First Nations elders alive today who worked for decades and have little to show for it because their wages were systematically stolen.

No Celebration Without Justice

The economic impact of decades of stolen wages is immense. It represents generations of lost opportunity to build wealth, buy homes, and pass security on to children. While some state governments have established reparation schemes in recent years, many advocates argue these schemes have been complex to navigate, offered inadequate compensation, and failed to return the full value of what was taken.

Until these historical and economic wrongs are meaningfully addressed, and until there is genuine concerted action toward reconciliation, celebrating ‘Australia Day’ feels hollow.

Today, Workplace Allies Ltd stands in solidarity with Indigenous Australians. We stand with those fighting for economic justice and the restitution of what was stolen. We encourage our community to spend today listening to First Nations voices and understanding the deep history of the land we live and work upon.

Reconciliation is not possible without treaty and without reparations.