Several law firms are giving staff the option to work on Australia Day instead of having the day off, joining a wide range of corporations which recognise some citizens don't want to celebrate Australia's national day.

Australia Day on January 26 marks the day in 1788 when the First Fleet from Britain landed in Sydney Cove. It traditionally marked the day when modern Australia was "founded", but critics say it fails to recognise that the country was already inhabited by Indigenous Australians.