2026
First Nations Cal
January
1 Jan 1994 25 Jan 2014 26 Jan 1838 26 Jan 1938 26 Jan 1972 26 Jan 1988 26 Jan
2026
First Nations Calendar
To download: https://bit.ly/first-nations-calendar or scan the QR code
February
5 Feb 1972 12 Feb 1965 13 Feb 2008 14 Feb 2004 26 Feb 1968
March 19 Mar 21 Mar 21 Mar 1829
April 1 Apr 1897 5 Apr 1997 15 Apr 1991 17 Apr 1816
May 1 May 1838 1 May 1946 24 May 2020 26 May 1997 26 May 26 May 2017 27 May 1967 27 May – 3 Jun 28 May 2000 29 May 1992
June
Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) commenced Adam Goodes named Australian of the Year Waterloo Creek massacre (Kamilaroi people, NSW) William Cooper organises Day of Mourning Aboriginal Tent Embassy established in Canberra Bicentennial Protest – 40,000 march in Sydney Survival Day, Invasion Day, Australia Day, Yabun Festival
Tent Embassy Petition to Parliament Freedom Ride bus leaves Sydney Anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations TJ Hickey dies, sparking Redfern riots Lionel Rose wins World Bantamweight Title National Close the Gap Day (3rd Thursday of March) International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Aboriginal warrior Windradyn e dies (Bathurst, NSW) Aboriginal resistance leader Jandamarra killed (WA) Bringing them home report launched Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody final report Appin Massacre of men, women and children (Dharawal people) Slaughterhouse Creek massacre (Kamilaroi people) Anniversary of the Pilbara Strike Destruction of Juukan Gorge rock shelters by Rio Tinto Bringing them home report tabled in Federal Parliament National Sorry Day Uluru Statement of the Heart issued Referendum on Indigenous recognition in the Australian constitutio n National Reconciliat ion Week Reconciliation Walk over Harbour Bridge (250,000 attend) Torres Strait Islander flag launched
July
1 Jul 2 Jul 1971 5-12 Jul 9 Jul 1971
endar
The Coming of the Light festival (Torres Strait Islands) Evonne Goolagong -Cawley wins Wimbledon NAIDOC Week 2026 Aboriginal flag first flown in Adelaide
August
4 Aug
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 9 Aug Children’s Day International Day of the World’s Indigenous 14 & 28 Aug 1963 Peoples Yirrkala Bark Petitions presented to Parliament 14 Aug – 18 Oct 1928 Coniston Massacre on Warlpiri/Anmatyerr/Ka 15 Aug 1971 ytetye lands Neville Bonner becomes first Aboriginal person 16 Aug 1975 in Parliament Return of Gurindji land to the traditional owners 23 Aug 1966 (NT) Wave Hill Walk-Off (Gurindji Strike) 25 Aug 1994 Prime Minister Paul Keating officially recognises South Sea Islanders as a distinct cultural group.
September
2 Sep 13 Sep 2007 16 Sep 1963 25 Sep 2000
Indigenous Literacy Day Anniversary of the UN of Indigenous People Declaration on the Rights
Indigenous activists and their allies persuaded a policy supporting equal pay for Aboriginal the ACTU to adopt Islander workers and Torres Strait Cathy Freeman wins gold in the 400m final Olympic Games. at the Sydney
October
14 Oct 2023 26 Oct 1985 28 Oct 1834 31 Oct 1975
November
19 Nov 2004 28 Nov 2023
Voice to Parliament referendum Uluru-Kata Tjuta title deeds returned to the Anangu people Pinjarra Massacre (WA) Proclamation of the Racial Discrimination Act Cameron Doomadge e dies in custody (Palm Island) Senator Pat Dodson (“Father of Reconciliat retires from Parliament ion”)
December
1 Dec 1976 Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls appointed Governor 4 Dec 2000 of South Australia Council for Aboriginal Mabo Day (High Court Reconciliation Final 10 Dec 1992 Mabo Decision 1992) Report released Redfern Park Speech Resistance warrior Tarenorere delivered by Prime 12 Dec 2025 Minister Paul Keating r (Walyer) dies (Tas) Commencement of Myall Creek Massacre Australia’s first Treaty 16 Dec 1976 in Victoria Aboriginal Land Rights Palm Island Strike (NT) Act passed 23 Dec 1996 High Court handed Racial Discrimination down Wik Peoples Act 1975 (Cth) enacted v Queensland decision Burunga Statement presented to Prime Minister Bob Hawke Artwork credit: Women Dreaming This painting is about women hunting. They and bush plums. Painting: are hunting April Campbell Language: for bush foods. Women are hunting around Anmatyerr Communit y: Ti Tree Date: 5/11/2018 the waterholes, so they can look for witchety grubs, bush berries, bush onions 3 Jun 5 Jun 1831 10 Jun 1838 10 Jun 1957 11 Jun 1975 12 Jun 1988
The newspaper of the Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch (vol 45 #8) December 2025 PP 100000871 ISSN No: 0728-4845
A YEAR OF PROGRESS MEMBER WINS IN 2025
The IEU in action in 2025: clockwise from top left, Day of Action rally for preschool teachers on Martin Place on 15 October; IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Secretary Carol Matthews talks to 7News about child safety; reps’ training session in the IEU’s Sydney office; members and friends at the International Women’s Day rally in Newcastle in March; and Secretary Carol Matthews talks to the ABC about reforms to the early childhood education and care sector in NSW.
The IEU has made strong progress in 2025 securing gains for members across both the political and industrial arenas. We continually strive to deliver the best possible outcomes for members. Carol Matthews Secretary Political arena: Federal The re-election of the Labor government in May 2025 enabled the consolidation of gains that working people and their unions achieved during the government’s first term. Changes to rules governing multi-employer bargaining are crucial for many independent schools. The prospect of a single interest authorisation – granting more union rights, such as the ability to strike or seek arbitration of contested claims in the Fair Work Commission (FWC) – so alarmed employers that they conceded on key union demands previously deemed out of the question. The requirement that a union must consent before a multienterprise agreement is put to the vote has also changed the power dynamic in sector-wide bargaining in Christian schools. Unions have utilised the new supported bargaining stream in long day care. About 46,000 employees at more than 500 employers are now covered by a multi-employer agreement negotiated by the IEU and other unions. We are still pursuing a supported bargaining agreement with 103 NSW preschools.
Legislated delegates’ rights have greatly strengthened the role of the union rep in workplaces and facilitated reps participating in union training. Improvements in the federal government’s Paid Parental Leave scheme and rights to parental leave under the Fair Work Act are benefiting new parents. The rules about the right to request flexible work arrangements have also been tightened to benefit working people.
The IEU is also disappointed with the NSW government’s failure to engage with the FWC in relation to our claim for a multiemployer agreement applying to NSW preschools, which are funded solely by the NSW government. The union has been lobbying NSW MPs extensively, and we held a rally of more than 1000 members and supporters in Sydney’s Martin Place on 15 October as part of our Day of Action calling for additional funding for preschools.
Political arena: NSW The NSW government has delivered improvements in work health and safety, including legislating for industrial manslaughter to be a criminal offence. Everyone deserve a safe place to work. Claim farming (when unscrupulous operators pressure vulnerable people to make a child abuse claim incentivised by payouts and commissions) was outlawed in NSW in April 2025. However, members still face claims initiated prior to the legislation’s commencement. The NSW government has unfortunately disappointed unions with its proposed changes to workers compensation that would make it harder not only to make claims based on psychological injury, but also restrict support for such injuries after two-and-ahalf years.
Union win in independent schools In 2024, as part of bargaining for new multi-enterprise agreements (MEAs), the IEU campaigned in 250 independent schools in NSW and ACT that are members of employer group the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) under the slogan ‘Now’s the Time’. Members were highly engaged in this campaign and achieved considerable improvements in pay and conditions for both teachers and support staff in early 2025. A key element of the ‘Now’s the Time’ campaign was the use of a digital petition not only as a means to an end (the supported bargaining application), but also as an organising tool. Petitions are an effective tool for measuring member engagement. Continued on page 3