It was inconsiderate to have changed the date in 1994 to the 26th January. Australia Day is not inclusive, it celebrates the triumph of imperialism whilst rejecting the guilt that the day represents; the guilt of displacement and disempowerment of the Indigenous Australians. But then I learned that 26 January marked the beginning of massacres, oppression, the stealing of my people’s children and land. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. January 26, 1788, was the first time Europeans landed on this continent to stay. We already have too many empty gestures and broken promises when it comes to actually putting in the effort it takes to become a multicultural country that respects our Indigenous peoples and all peoples from all the cultures that make up our diverse population. Don’t be shamed if you’re non-Indigenous; I will hold you, and stand by you standing by me. Copyright © Amnesty International Australia ABN: 640 0280 6233.
I am a descendant of WWII Holocaust survivors, and I cannot imagine enduring celebrations of my ancestors’ torture, yet Indigenous people go through this on a yearly basis. In what form though, I do not … It is unfortunate that the defence of January 26 has included claims that the British arrival guaranteed the creation of a modern nation, and thus must be honoured. Julie Bishop! This was the day that massacres, abuse, being locked up, and genocide began. There is a simple reason we shouldn’t change the date of Australia Day.Source:Getty Images. So declare the last Friday of January a public holiday and let the end of January continue to be part of our national routine for holidays, BBQs with friends and family, summer activities and fun.
The date is also known as Survival Day or Invasion Day to many. We would see diversity in the workplace as the strength that it objectively and empirically is, and not as a sign of reverse racism or “political correctness gone mad” (ie “assault on Australian values”).
If such an event did not occur, I or my family would not be here. It follows that if we are to have an inclusive Australia Day that the date must be changed. Wanting to change the date of Australia Day, and the way the day itself operates to actively shape our national identity, is not unAustralian. More recently we’ve also used the term “Survival Day”, to commemorate our achievements and survival of our nations against the odds.
The fact is, no single date ever can or will encompass the myriad cultural and social variables enough to be dubbed a true "national" day. All subscriptions include exclusive subscriber offers, events and giveaways with West Rewards, our subscriber rewards program. When I consider this country's history, I am indeed sorry for the brutal rape, murder and needless separation of families. Over the years it has come with some really intense feedback … to ‘get over’ things, that I am whinging. It follows that if we are to have an inclusive Australia Day that the date must be changed. That chain of events continued to bring hardship and loss for many decades. The dispossession of Australia’s First Peoples began on this date in 1788 representing a day of mourning rather than celebration. However, to take issue with a single date on the basis of historical variables is to reject colonial history in its entirety.
Now I know Australia loves its public holiday at the end of January. Roxanne Moore, Indigenous Rights Campaigner. If a holiday that started 80 years ago is more important than acknowledging and respecting the people that were here over 60,000 years ago and their position on it, then we’ve still got a long way to go.
They didn’t. This year I was excited to be able to celebrate in Freo (Walyalup) on a date chosen through consultation and consensus. Australia seems to think that having a lot of people from other cultures here automatically makes us multicultural. It's that time of year again. The reality is that the annual Australia Day debate and the current campaign for a treaty proves we have never really united as one nation. We campaigned tirelessly to be recognised as fully Australian, to be truly part of this nation. Australia Day is not the only national holiday that invites controversy. Last time Noongar elder Reverend Sealin Garlett preached in our church he shared how his people’s pain is compounded by others celebrating 26 January. “As a proud Australian, I want to celebrate this country on a day that means something positive for ALL of us – not just a lucky few”. Quick guide History of Australia Day Show Hide. We can’t use changing the date of Australia to pretend we have fixed racism and then throw a party to celebrate how harmonious we are. That’s why 26 January is a hard day for all of our mob. But it’s really about the suffering of my brothers and sisters.”. Aldi embarrassment as Christmas special buys fail to arrive ... Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out.
Rightly or wrongly, it would confirm in the minds of many Australians the Hanson narrative about one culture being elevated above another. The prime, simple reason for Australia Day staying put is that most Australians want it that way so they can salute their nation. That can’t be dismissed as “black armband history” as if that was merely an opinion. The 26th of January is the wrong day to celebrate Australia Day. In 1938, then Australian premiers gathered in Sydney to mark 150 years since the First Fleet’s landing.
We can’t celebrate on that day because even now, more than 200 years later, the lessons haven’t been learned and the same mistakes are still being repeated. Coronavirus Australia live: Virus warning for Sydney restaur... Melania Trump US election day: Fashion, style, model, photos. The meaning given to a single date is culturally and socially relative. Like all national days, the significance attached to Australia Day has changed over time. January 26, 1788, was the first time Europeans landed on this continent to stay. Jack Patten opened the Day of Mourning and Protest conference saying: “On this day the white people are rejoicing, but we, as Aborigines, have no reason to rejoice on Australia’s 150th birthday. But it doesn’t need to be on the 26th every year and it doesn’t need to be Australia’s national day. This is a movement we support as a company. Remember Jack Patten’s call in 1938 — to be raised to full citizen status; to not be left behind in Australia’s march to progress. Then it started dawning on me how wrong it was to celebrate the day that the Aboriginal peoples of this country were invaded. However, that is not a reason to abandon January 26. Amrita, Bundjulung/Ngapuhi woman and professional dancer. We can be thankful for our personal luck here, but we should also remember the reality that with our good fortune came an incredible and tragic cost to a culture that still feels the effects to this day. It paints a whole range of voices who oppose Australia Day, but most notably Indigenous people (even though we are probably only a very small % of Australians wanting to change the date), as representing a threat to “Australian” values. That doesn’t mean indigenous people won’t celebrate Australia. We would not have the country that became home to millions of migrants over the course of more than 200 years. I can’t do that – all my grandparents were part of the World War II and my grandfather was killed by a roadside bomb. For the record, it's March 21. It’s always been there, even before anyone cared about what indigenous people think. 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. Whenever the idea of changing Australia Day gets floated or, more and more, whenever a Council announces that they are actually doing it, there are two standard negative responses. January 26 is approaching, so it means another round for the Australia Day debate.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt says date of Australia Day should not be changed based on ‘minority opinion’ Joanna Delalande The West Australian Sun, 26 January 2020 6:55PM Indigenous people overwhelmingly feel anger, sadness and grief about the chain of events beginning on January 26, 1788. event near you. Yet Australia Day is exactly that, celebrating the day the British invaded the land of Indigenous Australians. It goes: “We don’t need to change it because Australia is already super awesome and multicultural and respects Indigenous people etcetera etcetera etcetera”.
The mistreatment of Indigenous people? I want to celebrate an inclusive society surrounded by my friends and family.
And when it comes to racial discrimination and embracing Indigenous cultures and multiculturalism more broadly, Australia is in pretty bad shape. When a community is diverse, multicultural and cosmopolitan, can one date ever suitably pacify the sensitivities of every cultural group? I want to celebrate this country, but it should be on a date that includes everyone. That was when our ancestors began losing their lands and their ability to speak their languages, practice ceremony and live under their kinship systems. As a young person who grew up in this country, I want to feel proud on Australia Day. Third, 1935 was arguably the height of the white Australia policy. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out.
THERE’S no doubt the First Fleet brought the worst elements of the British Empire to Australia. In what form though, I do not know. One could rightly argue that fear of community backlash is not an argument, but it would also be naive to pretend there would not be a visceral and defiant response where many thousands would celebrate the day on such a date anyway, and with increased jingoism at that. Indigenous people have been protesting Australia Day for at least 79 years, and many non-Indigenous people have stood beside us, as proud allies.
This is essentially the same line of reasoning Howard gave for not acknowledging the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and creating Harmony Day instead. I think we need to #ChangeTheDate so that Australia Day can be truly inclusive. Like Trump’s recent comments regarding Charlottesville, this is coded language to white nationalists and unber-nationalists, for “Aboriginal people hate Australian values”. It goes: “We don’t need to change it because Australia is already super awesome and multicultural and respects Indigenous people etcetera etcetera etcetera”. The United States' Thanksgiving is a complicated holiday for Native Americans, given it marked the upheaval of their way of life. Just look at what happens whenever someone wants to build a mosque in a rural area. That same day, Aboriginal leaders held a Day of Mourning and Protest to highlight the mistreatment of Aboriginal people and campaign for equal rights. The other main argument made whenever people mention why many Indigenous people want to change the date is that it won’t fix anything. “This land belonged to our forefathers 150 years ago, but today we are pushed further and further into the background... We do not wish to be left behind in Australia’s march to progress. © Private, It’s not only me that wants this change. That’s the proper day to celebrate Australia’s independence, identity and nationhood because that’s the day Australia came into being and it’s a day everyone can unite behind. We ask for full citizen rights.”, The Conference passed the following resolution: “We, representing the Aborigines of Australia... hereby make protest against the callous treatment of our people by the whitemen during the past 150 years... we ask for a new policy which will raise our people to full citizen status and equality within the community.”. Some say that January 1, the date of federation, would be ideal. The first is the type that Malcolm Turnbull gave in parliament. But we can’t celebrate unity on a day representing conflict and conquest. Reduced further, it goes: We don’t need to worry about any of that, because we are awesome. The “traditional definition of marriage”?
But changing the date is not the answer.
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