It goes: "We don't need to change the date because Australia is already super awesome and multicultural and respects Indigenous people*" (*possibly not an actual quote). Today's episode is a very important one. "Part of a maturing nation is the willingness to listen and learn from someone else's view and to keep a dialogue open," she said. No wonder so many people believe that the date should be changed to any other day in the year! Other "Australia days" were held on. s = d.createElement('script'); The first act that was passed after Federation was the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, commonly referred to as the White Australia Policy. There is a growing movement in Australia to 'change the date' of Australia Day to a day more inclusive of all Australians. While marketed as a day of celebration, January 26 marks the day that Australias First Nations people lost their country. A lot has happened in the last few years which has forced us to reflect on our values and the racial inequality of the world we still live in. } How To Spend A Long Weekend In Townsville If The Thought Of Winter Is Already Crushing Yr Soul, Dysons Slinging Up To $400 Off Its Famous Sucky Bois If Yr Sick Of Crumbies Underfoot, Weve Already Copped A Bit Of Spicy Intel About What Goes Down At The MAFS 2023 Reunion, Rihanna & A$AP Rockys Sweet Bb Has Made His Official Debut With An Adorable Vogue Shoot, Sign up with your Facebookor Linkedin account, Please select at least one of the following options to continue. And I am not alone. Either way, it really pays to understand both sides of this one, because you cant change minds or win arguments without understanding your oppositions POV. In recent years celebrating Australia Day with barbeques, countdowns and festivals have given way to survival day protests and debates about what Australia Day truly means. Nothing. It begins with treating well the people who were there first. Out of the other 364 days that could be chosen, why January 26th? Formidable employer power, Jacky and his boyfriend were 'flatmates' for years until his mother found out about the truth, 'Momentous occasion': Spears taken by Captain Cook in 1770 to be returned home, This youth worker can't talk about youth crime without mentioning the kids sleeping in nearby public toilet blocks, Prince Harry and Meghan told to vacate UK home, 'The biggest mistake of our lives': US fertility clinic sued for using embryo with deadly cancer gene, Pedestrian killed after being struck by car on major Darwin road, 'I pretty much cried all day': Devil in one of the last 'disease-free' populations found with facial tumour. Your achievements and a few scars and from some mistakes and things that you could have done better.. See where you fit on the issues that matter. For First Nations people, this is a day of mourning called Invasion Day. Until that point, Australians celebrated it in varying forms. The date is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788. In 2017, the Australia Institute found a whopping 62% of people did not know what the day marked. In fact, many have decided to join the movement of Change It Ourselves. Instead of waiting for the governments to do something about it, they have decided to take the first step themselves. The Australia Talks National Survey 2021 has revealed a majority of people now believe Australia Day should not be celebrated on January 26, given the historical significance of the date for Indigenous nations. Why would the Aborigines wish to celebrate this day every year? Were joiningChange It Ourselves, celebrating Australia Day on a different date. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed on May 9, 1901, when Australia's first parliament convened and the six British colonies merged to . We pay our respects to Elders past and present and thank them for protecting Country since time immemorial. color: yellow!important; Its purpose is to shed light on important community-based issues facing minority groups. This is the date the City of Fremantle council chose to use this . Australia Day was only formalised as a national holiday in 1994 to some, thats not a very longstanding tradition. Did you find this helpful? } Luke Pearson is a Gamilaroi man living in NSW. Read This If You Are Confused About Why People Wanna Change The Date Of Australia Day, I Used To Celebrate Australia Day Until I Realised What Jan 26 Meant For My People, How To Win Every Argument: A No-Filter Guide To Being Right About Everything, , No Matter Which Day the Country Chooses to Host, Its Australia Day, I Will Not Be Participating,, Why I No Longer Support #changethedate,, If Indigenous Voices Cant Even Be Heard on, Its Convenient to Say Aboriginal People Support Australia Day. I've written about that date before, its origins and forgotten stories and recent almost-comical attempts to protect a public holiday. A belief in white righteousness quietened the voices of reason and fairness when the first fleet landed on the shores of this continent. Itll help, promise. Why should Australia Day be changed? We've changed the date before - in fact, January 26 has only been a national public holiday since 1994 - and must do so again if we want to achieve a national day that unifies all. 'gtm.start': Hi everyone. And yes, the survey was multiple choice. Trans-generational, or inherited trauma, is. If you need help applying or want to talk super, call us on 1300 926 626. Change the Date and we will dismantle the systems and structures that oppress us.. An elderly man walking along the boardwalk was adamant the date should not be changed. Info here. It also marks the start of Reconciliation Week. } To change this we need a lot more than just changing the date of Australia Day, but to change this we might need a catalyst. Join us! In 1938, 100 Aboriginal people from across the country chose thatdate to meet to condemn "the degrading and humiliating" treatment of Indigenous communities. A day to reflect on the dark parts of our history, so we can move forward together as a nation.. Maybe youre going to end up in a heated argument at a BBQ this weekend (dont blame you), or perhaps youve only just started to explore your own feelings on the topic (dont blame you either). The most media attention that these protests ever gained was in 1988, the infamous Bicentennial, where the phrase White Australia has a Black History entered our collective consciousness, but they have always been there in one form or another, whether they are noticed by media or not. function external_links_in_new_windows_loop() { Indigenous people have called Australia home formore than 60,000 years, being custodians of theworlds oldest continuous living culture. While many Australians argue that we have much to celebrate about this country, it shouldnt come at the expense of our First Nations peoples. A nation that is not, and has never been fair, free or young. You should consider seeking advice from an authorised financial adviser before making an investment decision. January 26 is the legacy of the horrific past and the connection of this trauma to the present. I got a column called timeentered from table table_test which is stored in date format (Australia time). Melbourne City Council will likely advocate for the federal government to change the date of Australia Day while still holding . These are held every year around the country and allow you to support First Nations people on an upsetting day. It will always be a day of protest for as long as there are things that need to be protested against. They asked the government to consider what that day meant to them, the First Peoples, and called for equality and justice. That was not the . Australia Day has become the annual starters gun for all the rabid racists to complain about how we objectors hate Australia & disrespect diggers, when in reality it because we love the ancient . As one Aboriginal person said, You dont visit someones house, rape, and pillage them, and then tell them you are going to celebrate that day as their birthday.. Much like the work you need to do to become an effective anti-racist ally, having conversations about this with your family and friends brings the issue to the forefront. } Gemma McKinnon, If Indigenous Voices Cant Even Be Heard on Australia Day, What Hope Have We Got? ABC News, 23 January 2018. As a first-generation Australian I firmly believe that to truly understand the issue, we have to listen to First Nations voices of all kinds. Australia Day: Change the date? display: none !important; On this Invasion Day, I am angry. Because, when it comes to this tradition, what exactly are we celebrating? Given how NSW centric the day has historically been, most other states and territories also had a long history of opposition to it being the day that we celebrate Australia. One is to scrap the celebration completely, which, given that Australia is rooted in colonialism, and any celebration of it would be celebrating this fact is a fair argument. 2023 Australian Ethical Investment Ltd (ABN 47 003 188 930, AFSL 229949). First Peoples already had functioning, sophisticated social structures, law, spiritual beliefs, science and technology. You have almost exterminated our people, but there are enough of us remaining to expose the humbug of your claim, as white Australians, to be a civilised, progressive, kindly and humane nation., Aborigines Claim Citizen Rights! The Indigenous communities declared it a Day of Mourning that remains recognised to this day. By the 1900s, the indigenous population was reduced by 90%, through a systematic method of displacement, and indoctrination of the tribes into the British culture. The date signifies the beginning of a long, painful history of bloody genocide, slavery, stolen land and stolen children that lasted hundreds of years. }; In 2004, a Newspoll survey that asked if the date of Australia Day should be moved to one that is not associated with European settlement found 79 per cent of respondents favoured no change, 15 . Now, there are two lines of thinking when it comes to this date. // console.log('ignore ' + all_links.href); And no, its not being unpatriotic. She saidthe change in attitude around Australia Day was a sign the country was "growing and maturing as a reconciled nation". de 2014 . What's on The two sides to the Change The Date discussion were written in consultation with Marlee Silva, founder of Tiddas 4 Tiddas. In recent years, Australia Day protests have swelled and tens of thousands of people Indigenous and non-Indigenous march together all across the country. Additionally, former Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, wasnt interested in changing the date either, saying, Australia Day is 26 January. And they are wrong for seven reasons. Plus, there are other days that do acknowledge the horrors of colonisation: National Sorry Day on May 26, Reconciliation Week, which starts on May 27, and Mabo Day on June 3. // forced if the address starts with http (or also https), but does not link to the current domain By signing up you agree to our privacy policy. True. A protest that has never dissipated in the decades that followed. "We're trying to dig a little bit deeper about making it more meaningful," she said. We want to use this platform to provide some information on why we believe that Australia Day should not be celebrated on January 26, if at all. You want a day to celebrate Australia. Ive written about that date before, its origins and forgotten storiesand recent almost-comical attempts to protect a public holiday. The entire premise upon which this Australia Day is based is shoddy and thus, the idea that this day should be celebrated is farcical. // console.log('Changed ' + all_links.href); The second argument is to change the date of the Australia Day celebration, moving any sort of revelry away from a day that is devastating for Indigenous people. } In fact, it was only 25 years ago that it . Changing the date would show that we have aspirations for this country to become greater than it is. There has also been a marked shift in the number of people who "strongly agreed" celebrations should move. This movement sparked a number of much-needed conversations including the ways in which systemic racism operates within this country. Many are asking whether Australia Day should be on January 26th. Related:Why the Indigenous Voice to Parliament Isnt Going to Be as Straightforward as You Think, Related:Know Better, Do Better: The Best Aussie Podcasts to Educate Yourself on Indigenous History. func(); Six years later, triple js Hottest 100 is just as popular, despite not occurring on January 26 and theres barely been any discussion about the date change since. The date is also known as Survival Day or Invasion Day to many. On this Invasion Day, I am angry. Social structures implanted by the new arrivals were not beneficial for First Peoples, who were barred from economic participation and denied genuine access to education, health and justice until approximately the 1970s. First of all, adding your voice to this conversation helps to make it a lot louder. The ABC shouldnt be buying into this debate, Fifield said at the time. (CrescentWealth), Blog //
why should we change the date of australia day