AFL star Bailey Smith calls on authorities to change the date of on Australia Day

AFL star Bailey Smith wants the date of Australia Day formally changed, labelling the iconic public holiday Invasion Day.

The Western Bulldogs midfielder took to Instagram on Wednesday, encouraging his 355,000 plus followers to 'be mindful of how you are spending tomorrow and show empathy towards our First Nations people.'

He added 'change the f***ing date', after sharing apost from advocacy organisation Talk Black, which outlined a series of scheduled 'Invasion Day' protests across the nation on Thursday.

Earlier this week, Australian cricketer Ashleigh Gardner called out Cricket Australia for scheduling a women's international fixture on January 26.

Gardner, a proud Indigenous Australian, condemned the decision to play a match on a date which commemorates 'the beginning of genocide, massacres and dispossession.'