The many stories of Australia are often at odds with each other, but Australia day can provide both connection and reflection, writes Jan Chorley.

Every year, as 26 January approaches, I am reminded that Australia is a nation built on many stories — ancient stories, inherited stories and stories still being written. They do not always align. Sometimes they sit alongside one another in tension. Yet together, they shape the country we love.

The world we are moving through in 2026 feels different to the one we knew only a short time ago. Social, cultural and political landscapes continue to shift, and many Australians feel the weight of these changes in their daily lives. Even our relationship with this country — its land, its people and its identity — can feel like any meaningful relationship: one we cherish deeply, but one that invites honest reflection when challenges such as fear and hate arise.

Among those challenges is a noticeable global drift toward ideologies that sit outside the principles........

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