Wattle Day Association Inc. Strategic Plan

Wattle Day Association Inc.
Strategic Plan 2025 ̶ 2028

Why we exist

The aims of the Wattle Day Association are to raise awareness of, promote and educate Australians about:

National Wattle Day (1 September) – a unifying celebration of Australia and its people
National Wattle Day (1 September) as a day when Australian Honours and Awards are announced
Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) – Australia’s national floral emblem
wattles (Acacia species) in all their variety as unifying symbols for all Australians
the many uses of Acacia species, both current and historical, that are part of Australian indigenous and non-indigenous heritage and culture
the many benefits of plantings of wattles for conservation and rehabilitation of the natural environment
Australia’s wattle pollens, according to immunologists, being unlikely causes of allergies.

The Association will focus on the following three objectives in 2025 – 2028.

Objective 1

To raise awareness of and educate Australians about the history, meaning, significance, symbolism and the unifying role of National Wattle Day (NWD), officially gazetted in 1992.

Objective 2

To grow public awareness of the unifying symbolism of the Australian floral emblem (Acacia pycnantha) and the cultural significance and usefulness of Australia’s 1,075 native Acacia species.

Objective 3

To build the WDA organisation – its membership and funding

Objective 1

To raise awareness of and educate Australians about the history, meaning, significance, symbolism and the unifying role of National Wattle Day (NWD), officially gazetted in 1992.

To do this we will:

Seek support from the WDA’s patron, the Governor-General of Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC to raise awareness of and encourage the celebration of National Wattle Day
Advocate that Australian Honours and Awards be announced on National Wattle Day (1 September)
Engage with and encourage community organisations and leaders to celebrate NWD
Present brochures, WDA badges and lapel pins to community leaders such as politicians and mayors and encourage them to wear them on NWD and promote the day on their social media platforms
Insist that publishers of Australian calendars and diaries include National Wattle Day on the 1 September because it was officially gazetted as a national day in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No. S 240, Monday, 24 August 1992
Communicate about how National Wattle Day has evolved from its first celebration in 1910 as a unifying celebration of national identity.
Promote the holding of citizenship ceremonies around NWD with a wattle theme and wattle speech to welcome Australia’s new citizens
Provide and improve accurate educational material on the WDA website for schools, teachers and students
Facilitate primary school celebrations of National Wattle Day through wattle plantings and other activities that link to the Australian Primary Curriculum
Promote wattle walks and talks in botanical gardens, arboretums, nurseries, conservation plantings, national parks and reserves.

Objective 2

To grow public awareness of the unifying symbolism of the Australian floral emblem (Acacia pycnantha) and the cultural significance and usefulness of Australia’s 1,075 described native Acacia species.

To do this we will continue to:

Communicate with federal/state/territory governments and non-government organisations to facilitate their use of accurate information about the history and cultural significance of Acacia pycnantha (Golden Wattle) as the national floral emblem since formal gazettal on 1 September 1988
Collaborate with federal state/territory institutions to provide accurate information about the environmental significance of wattle
Provide accurate scientific information from immunologists that Acacia pollen tests confirm that Wattle pollen is rarely the cause of early spring allergy symptoms. This is to dispel the persistent myth that wattles cause allergies
Raise awareness of, educate Australians about and promote the many uses of Acacia species, both current and historical, that are part of Australian indigenous and non-indigenous heritage and culture
Communicate the cultural significance of wattle used to celebrate an event or an anniversary or national achievement; and to mark, commemorate or reflect on an anniversary of national significance or loss
Raise awareness of the benefits of planting wattles for conservation and rehabilitation of the natural environment, such as soil improvement, as they are native, nitrogen-fixing legumes. We will do this through the WDA website, flyers and online promotion of wattle plantings, walks and talks.

Objective 3

To build the WDA organisation – its membership and funding