Mr Wyatt questioned the Australia Talks findings. After all, doesnt the national anthem say: Australians all let us rejoice? News Corp reports 29% of more than 1,000 people surveyed said they would celebrate Australia Day 2021. At the time, many people pledged to educate themselves on what it takes to be an effective anti-racist ally. Join the conversation SIGNS THAT UKRAINE COULD ACTUALLY WIN THIS It's a miracle. Australia Day, holiday (January 26) honouring the establishment of the first permanent European settlement on the continent of Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and thank them for protecting Country since time immemorial. Read more about why we need to change the date of Australia Day: function external_links_in_new_windows_load(func) 'gtm.start': Well,most people assume that the reason this day was chosen because thats when the First Fleet landed in Australia. Luke Pearson, Why I No Longer Support #changethedate, IndigenousX, January 2019. I got a column called timeentered from table table_test which is stored in date format (Australia time). Lets show the Aboriginals that they are a true and essential part of the unique inclusivity that makes up Australia. We invest in companies to have a positive impact on the planet, people and animals. Stop supporting Whites who claim to be victimised Blacks! 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. j.src = 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. Like Christmas Day, Australia Day is a holiday where most. These are held every year around the country and allow you to support First Nations people on an upsetting day. } Articles, podcasts, videos, research & courses tackling the issues that matter. Were joiningChange It Ourselves, celebrating Australia Day on a different date. It is insensitive and exclusive, it is no longer taken seriously, and the 26th doesn't mean as much as we think. A day to reflect on the dark parts of our history, so we can move forward together as a nation.. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed on May 9, 1901, when Australia's first parliament convened and the six British colonies merged to . The colonisation of Australia was done through force, displacing Indigenous communities from their ancestral homelands. ( Read full column here .) Does Medical Insurance Cover . -------------------------------------------------------------. Watch the evidence. '&l=' + l : ''; if(force != '' && all_links.href.search(force) != -1) { Most people dont even care about that actual date, they just want a day off work, or to have a few drinks, or to have a barbecue, or whatever it is that people do. The Australia Day website also claims that On Australia Day we come together as a nation to celebrate whats great about Australia and being Australian. Whats so great about the 26th of January that it would make us come together as a nation? There is growing opinion that although January 26th is Australia Day, the celebration of Australia Day on January 26th does not allow all Australians to join in celebrating Australia's greatness, and every day we get to spend being part of this great Nation and the opportunities it gives us is an 'Australia Day' we celebrate separately, so why not choose a day that we can All celebrate . It was only in 1994, 26 years ago, that it officially became a public holiday. Our treatment of Indigenous peoples, of asylum seekers, of the homeless, of the unemployed, of women, of veterans, of pensioners (the list goes on and on) is not great. A large proportion of the population 45 per cent disagree or feel neutral about the push to move Australia Day and Ms Reys said it was important to make room "for different views". 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. Luke Pearson is a Gamilaroi man living in NSW. Change the Date and we will dismantle the systems and structures that oppress us.. In fact, they label it a Day of Mourning, Invasion Day, or Survival Day.. Even in 1938, on the first Day of Mourning, Australia Day was referred to as the anniversary of the whitemens seizure of our country, and nothing about that sentiment has really changed that much in the decades that followed. First Peoples already had functioning, sophisticated social structures, law, spiritual beliefs, science and technology. func(); You came here only recently, and you took our land away from us by force. The tradition of having Australia Day as a national holiday on 26 January is a recent one. ( function( w, d, s, l, i ) { var force = ''; document.links[t].removeAttribute('target'); A lot. This shift became about as more folks became conscious and alert to the ugliness that followed the invasion of the land we now call Australia in 1788. 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). img#wpstats{display:none} Watch: What January 26 means to different Australians. But, as it stands, Australia Day marks the anniversary of invasion and the beginning of an era of mourning, survival and resilience for Australia's First Nations peoples. (Supplied: Australian War Memorial)January 28. Its purpose is to shed light on important community-based issues facing minority groups. oldonload(); What's on Considering that, celebrating Australia Day on January 26th seems like an insensitive way to pay tribute to all those atrocities. You could say that this was the day we finally came together as Aussies. Australia Day. Because, when it comes to this tradition, what exactly are we celebrating? Maybe that is why the day is filled with little more than jingoistic flag waving and mass consumption of alcohol, to distract us from the fact that we arent as great a country as some would otherwise like to think. if(change_link == true) { Not-for-profit organisation Australians Together has a similar train of thought, writing: Its true, that as Australians, we should be able to come together and celebrate the things about our nation that were proud of and grateful for. And why would the Australian government want to remind them every year of what was done to them? Its not like its such a big deal to most. Well, most people assume that the reason this day was chosen because that's when the First Fleet landed in Australia. It might not be the easiest sell, however. It was also when Indigenous people began being oppressed - massacred,. #post-1784265 .brightcove-video-container { This move was criticised, with the Resources Minister at the time, Matt Canavan, calling it a disgraceful decision. Not until 1994 did they begin to celebrate Australia Day consistently as a public holiday on that date.. And I am not alone. While its undoubtedly an uphill battle to get governments to listen, its not impossible, which is why pressure needs to be continually applied for them to listen. Australia Day was not celebrated consistently on 26 January until 1994 Australia's national day of celebration has drawn much criticism recently from those who say it causes unfair hurt to. } 5. In 1888 when Henry Parkes the premier of NSW at the time was asked if there was anything plannedfor Aboriginal people on Australia Day he said: And remind them that we have robbed them?. The survey was conducted by Vox Pop Labs for the ABC and is one of the largest conducted in the country. We hope that a constructive conversation can continue with the Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander groups so we can find an inclusive day to celebrate our Australian Day. It seems ridiculous to consider that any nation should be celebrating the massacre of hundreds of thousands of people who were in Australia first. A record number of27,000 people were bestowed with Australian citizenship on January 26th, 2020. Australia Day is our national day. Join us! According to the ABC, its the Premier who actually has the power to change public holidays in their state, so writing letters to bring this to the attention of your state government is a start. [CDATA[ */ if(all_links.href.search(/^http/) != -1 && all_links.href.search('www.pedestrian.tv') == -1 && all_links.href.search(/^#/) == -1) { 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. Eugenics ( / judnks / yoo-JEN-iks; from Ancient Greek (e) 'good, well', and - (gens) 'come into being, growing') [1] [2] is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said he did not agree with changing the date. But thats inaccurate. Its also not like this day has been celebrated for a very long time. // forced if the address starts with http (or also https), but does not link to the current domain 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. However, celebrating these things on the 26th of January can divide us as Australians by marginalising and offending many Indigenous people who see this date as commencing a chain of events that had disastrous consequences for many Indigenous people.. They asked the government to consider what that day meant to them, the First Peoples, and called for equality and justice. change_link = true; The voice of whiteness is also found in present arguments, like when the violence of settlement is justified by what the British introduced. Lets just party on a date where everyone can be involved! WATCH: Do Uni Students Have Skin Care Routines? and fast. And that's one of many reasons why Australia Day should be changed from January 26th to some other more suitable day. var d = document, The answer will tell us all we need to know about how great a country Australia is. 2. } This happened back in 1788, and it marks the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia. Since 1938, the 26thof January continues to be commemorated as a Day of Mourning. 2023 Australian Ethical Investment Ltd (ABN 47 003 188 930, AFSL 229949). You dont pretend your birthday was on a different day you look at your whole lifes experience, Morrison said. That seems like a more appropriate day to celebrate Australias independence and sovereignty rather than January 26th. You could also lobby your local council to stop holding citizenship ceremonies on January 26. The 26th of January is a day that will always live in infamy. The Djirribul woman was the inaugural co-chair of Reconciliation Australia and helped to establish the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program, which is now used across the corporate world. Secondly, changing the date would spare indigenous Australian and islanders the painful reminder of their loss of country, family and culture. Two-factor authentication (2FA) should also be enabled. Planning the change process and troubleshooting and reporting bugs with vendors. For all the outrage seen from politicians at the time, this change hasnt undermined Australia Day or caused them to rethink the conversation. The Indigenous communities declared it a Day of Mourning that remains recognised to this day. You can buy her debut book How to Win Every Argument (from $4.99) here. To many Australians, Australia Day is just another day off. Maybe then we might see people who arent fascists and racists declaring themselves patriots. Thats when the First Fleet landed on Sydneys Botany Bay. We hope that soon Australia Day will be a celebration for all Australians, by all Australians, and one that embraces, or at least doesnt neglect, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures. Putting ethics at the centre of everyday life. Read more stories fromThe Latchand follow us onFacebook. "We're trying to dig a little bit deeper about making it more meaningful," she said. Australia Day does not exist on January 26. Indigenous groups have been protesting the date foralmost 90 years. An elderly man walking along the boardwalk was adamant the date should not be changed. While it has been celebrated in NSW as far back as 1818, weve only been doing it as a united country for a couple of decades. His view is that Australia Day should remain on January 26, but he wants to see a national holiday on January 25 to honour Indigenous communities. //