It’s the National Day of Australia, celebrated with much fervour and energy throughout the country. ‘It’s time to move on. Australia Day is a day for celebrating we are living in a great country now. I want to celebrate an inclusive society surrounded by my friends and family. "), But as long as Australia Day has been an idea, it has faced criticism from members of the Indigenous community, many of whom are outraged that the invasion of their land and the decimation of their people are celebrated in a national holiday. In recent years many have called for a new national holiday that respects the experience of Indigenous Australians … "Until Australia deals with the unfinished business of Aboriginal sovereignty and historical truth telling there will be no appropriate date upon which to celebrate a supposedly unified nation. By doing so, we … Tameeka Tighe attends a protest in Sydney. A vandalized statue of Captain James Cook in Melbourne on Australia Day 2018. Protesting Australia Day is an anti-colonial movement, a movement that calls for our country to exist independently, with treaties acknowledging the Sovereignty of First Nations peoples; and completely separate from the British Empire. On 26 January, these celebrations condone genocide, racism and destruction of Indigenous lives and culture. Some may not see the connections of celebrating Australia Day and a lifeless Black body on a concrete floor of a correctional centre, but this is why we simply can't "get over it"; the oppression and systemic racism still exists and the trauma of it is felt across generations. Here some history might be instructive. The king of Denmark who conquered Greenland in the 19th century, etc. 2021 marks 30 years since the Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody; and statistics tell us that over 440 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died at the hands of police or corrections since 1991 - yet not one conviction. But this doesn't change the white nationalism attached to it or make Australia any more inclusive. Every year I dread the anniversary of January 26 - but this year feels a little different. (To this day Australia is the only Commonwealth country without a treaty with its native population.). ", In 2016, the city of Fremantle delayed the event by two days, holding a "culturally inclusive alternative" on January 28 with public festivals and citizenship ceremonies. Our country, the Commonwealth of Australia, is a federation. "I hope you enjoy it," writes Boston Globe Jeff Jacoby. With May 8 pronounced to sound like the drawled ‘maaaate’, moving Australia Day to May 8 is a nationalistic affirmation of ‘mateship’. It's a debate that pops up all the time: should we change the date of Australia day? I'm a Gomeroi, Dunghutti and Biripi woman from the North West and North Coasts of New South Wales. Many of us hold the view that we need to abolish the day." What next? It’s true, that as Australians, we should be able to come together and celebrate the things about our nation that we’re proud of and grateful for. It’s a common misunderstanding we’re marching to change the date but we’re marching to change the nation. 13 million people (or half the population) participates in specific Australia Day celebrations each year. Australia Day has wandered around the calendar and it was only the 1988 Bicentenary which pinned it down through the work of the Australia Day Council. The dispossession of Australia’s First Peoples began on this date in 1788 representing a day of mourning rather than celebration. "There are only two events where we can be guaranteed to see white people wearing flag capes—on Australia Day and at neo-Nazi rallies. The idea for daylight saving time is usually credited to George Vernon Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist who gave a … Today much of the world honors an annual tradition: setting their clocks backwards by one hour. ", You have 4 free articles remaining this month, Sign-up to our daily newsletter for more articles like this + access to 5 extra articles. One could argue that, at the very same time, we also beaten our woman, denied rights to females, gays … Bill Shorten said Australia Day should not become an “idiot magnet” for anyone. “We respect the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who consider 26 January as a day of mourning, or a day to mark the survival To American eyes, Australia Day looks like a combination of July 4 and Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on the national character, remember Australian history and celebrate with family and friends. "The two can coexist. In 1938, the Aborigines Progressive Association held a day of mourning on January 26. Not until 1935 did all the Australian states and territories use that name to mark that date. There is a growing movement in Australia to ‘change the date’ of Australia Day to a day more inclusive of all Australians. In present-day Australia, celebrations aim to reflect the diverse society and landscape of the nation and are marked by community and family events, reflections on Australian history, official community awards and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new members … Sixty percent of Indigenous people have mixed or negative feelings about the holiday and more than half (54 percent) believe the date of Australia Day should be changed to one not associated with colonialism and oppression. Shorten acknowledge the day presented a chance to celebrate but also … In an attempt to move forward from the divisiveness of January 26, many allies called to "Change the Date." Children of immigrants are more likely to have negative associations with Australian Day. 2020 saw international protests demanding justice for the murder of George Floyd in the United States of America, again, bringing attention to the racial injustice faced by people of colour all over the world. There are many things we want to celebrate about Australia, but 26 January doesn’t represent an inclusive day for everyone. Moving an overly politicized and problematic day to another date won't change that. Australia Day Council has attempted since the early 1990s to reframe Australia Day as an occasion where we can “celebrate and mourn at the same time”. ​Senior citizens were more likely to feel positive about Australia Day (79 percent) while adults 18 to 39 were somewhat less positive (61 percent) or indifferent about Australia Day (22 percent). Did you know, that according the United Nations, Australia is one of very few countries that celebrate the beginning of its colonial rule? Back home, in solidarity with family of George Floyd and in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement, we saw thousands take to the streets to demand that Black Lives Matter in our own country too. This challenges our nation to overcome our colonial past by abolishing "Australia Day" completely and address the root of the issues that First Nations peoples. It wasn't until 1935 that all Australian states and territories adopted "Australia Day" to mark the date, and not until 1994 that it was made a public holiday nationwide. Year on year, increasing numbers of non-Indigenous Australians would also like it changed out of respect for Indigenous culture. In recent years, social justice activists, Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, have led a movement to "Abolish Australia Day" until we become a nation worth celebrating at least. January 26 is offensive not only to Indigenous Australians but to millions who want to celebrate shamelessly on our national day. In this we can dismantle systems of oppression, and maybe then, we can be "One and Free. Not until 1994 did they begin to celebrate Australia Day consistently as a public holiday on that date.” It feels like a moment to pause and acknowledge what we … Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 the landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Jackson in New South Wales. "[It's] not just the actions of 230 years ago, or a century ago, or 50, or even 15 years ago that are problematic. January 26th is a special day for Aussies. Australia Day as a day where we all celebrate the positives this great country of ours has to offer (as the 13 thousand who chose this day to become new citizens would attest – and my sincere welcome to them), has been overshadowed by protest marches supported by ‘key figures’ and given undeserved extensive media coverage. No, I don't believe that we should ban Columbus. It is argued that without significant changes in key areas of justice relating to First Nations people, there is nothing to celebrate. If we abolish then, then we should abolish everything that celebrates more cruel people in history, such as King James the First, Winston Churchill. In 2017, the city council of Fremantle voted to hold an alternative celebration on January 28, following growing pressure around the country to change the date of Australia Day. Should our national day be held on January 26, the day the Union Jack was raised at Port Jackson on the land of the Eora clans? We should … The first “Australia Day” was actually held on July 30, 1915, to raise funds for the World War I effort. Australia Day was first celebrated on July 30, 1915. To some, January 26 is a modern tradition worth protecting, a celebration of what Australia looks like today. Happy Australia Day 2019 everybody! 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