I'm an Aboriginal leader. Here's why you shouldn't celebrate Australia Day - and I want the flag changed now

Aboriginal businessman calls for Australia Day and flag to be changed He said celebrating holiday on January 26 is a 'breach of human rights'READ MORE: Bondi Beach to hold a dawn service for Australia Day

An Aboriginal business leader has slammed the celebration of Australia Day on January 26 and the national flag as a ‘breach of human rights’.

Jay Walton, 47, spent the majority of his life not knowing he was Aboriginal until he discovered his Indigenous bloodline through an Elder when he was in his 30s.

Ever since, Mr Walton says he has been raising awareness about why January 26 is such a disrespectful date to celebrate being Australian.

He told Daily Mail Australia that people ‘blindly celebrated’ Australia Day every year not knowing the pain it caused their Aboriginal counterparts.

‘It’s picking the scab of the wound for every Indigenous Australian,’ he said.

‘The notion that we could get on board with this is ridiculous, when the date represents a day when Australia was illegally invaded and land was stolen.

‘A simple gesture of respect and compassion to Indigenous Australians is to just change the date.’

Jay Walton, 47, has called for the Australia Day and the national flag to be changed. He is pictured modelling his brand’s new ‘3 Flags 1 Country’ t-shirts and tote bags

Mr Walton is pictured as a child in regional NSW. He would not find out about his Indigenous bloodline until his 30s.

Mr Walton said he would ‘love’ for there to be a day when all Australians could get together and celebrate Australia for the country it is.

However, he believes this is impossible until the date is changed.

The businessman said Australia’s national flag represented a ‘breach of human rights’ – with the Union Jack a ‘kick in the face’ to every Indigenous Australian.

He has called for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to be incorporated into the current flag.

‘The Union Jack is a daily reminder to anyone who is Indigenous that their mob has been murdered and their land has been invaded,’ he said.

‘The simple action of representing all three flags together in a show of support for solidarity around this topic is a healthier way to handle Australia Day celebrations until the date is changed.

‘To have meaningful reconciliation we need to acknowledge the three countries.’

Mr Walton has been ‘extremely connected’ to his Indigenous culture ever since he found out he was a fourth-generation Aboriginal man.

Mr Walton has released a line of t-shirts and tote bags that display the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags with the slogan ‘3 flags, 1 country’ (pictured)

His great-grandparents are the renowned bonesetter Thomas Mayers and Aboriginal healer, Mary Ann Perry, from the Worimi Nation, who formed the Mayers Clan in NSW’s eastern Port Stephens and Great Lakes regions.

He is also related to Aboriginal former Balmain Tigers player John Mayers.

Mr Walton, who grew up in regional NSW, said his family probably didn’t want to identify as Aboriginal due to institutionalised racism.

‘I had to use google to learn about my own family bloodline, an Indigenous mob in my town knew that me and my family were related to them,’ he said.

‘I used to pass the Missions every day on the way to school in Taree and Forster thinking how unjust it was that the white fellas are on one side, and the black fellas on the other.’

Mr Walton has released a line of t-shirts and tote bags that display the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags with the slogan ‘3 flags, 1 country’ for his sustainable brand Re-Loved Apparel.

He is working with One Tree Planted to ensure a tree is planted in Australia from each garment sold, with the aim of planting at least 45,000 trees.