Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt says Australia Day should remain on January 26 and commemorations around the country instead mark both the "good and the bad" of the nation's history since 1788.

In an exclusive interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Mr Wyatt said Australia's "dark beginnings" must be recognised in communities across the country but not overshadow celebrations of the "remarkable" multicultural country it has become.

Ken Wyatt is the first Indigenous man to serve as Minister for Indigenous Australians. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Strongly supporting the date of the national day remaining as it is, Mr Wyatt said Australia's history was marked with events "that none of us on reflection like".

"We can have anger at the past, the pain and the hurt ... but at some point we've got to give our children a better future," Mr Wyatt said.