Additionally, the origins of celebrating Australia Day on January 26 dont actually date back that far. Australian Ethical will also nominate a new date to acknowledge our own Australia Day in the office, celebrating what makes us proud about our nation. Its like ignoring the pleas and plights of the biggest populace of what makes Australia uniquely Australia. 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. I choose not to repeat myself, because the date will change. Our site uses cookies. According to the Australia Day website, it is a day where we come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian.. It is a time when we are seeing rights and freedoms for all except the wealthiest Australians (and foreign companies) removed. I believe were almost there which explains the frantic push back. . A catalyst for debate, an opportunity for change. // Load It does not take into account the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. He is the founder and CEO of IndigenousX. At the time, many people pledged to educate themselves on what it takes to be an effective anti-racist ally. } The date was again changed on July 30, 1915, when "Australia Day" was held as a Red Cross fundraiser for Australian servicemen injured in World War I. As rightly pointed out by many, changing the date of Australia Day without the achievement of social justice or legal restitution in the form of Land Rights and Treaty only moves the celebration of unfinished business to another date. Karen Wyld is an author, living by the coast in South Australia. Lets show the Aboriginals that they are a true and essential part of the unique inclusivity that makes up Australia. There are no sound reasons why the date shouldnt be changed but there are plenty of reasons why the nation needs to change. According to the official Australia Day website, all states and territories didnt use the name Australia Day to mark the occasion until 1935. May 9, the day of the first sitting of Federal Parliament in 1901 and the day that Parliament moved to Canberra in 1927. }. The sovereignty of approximately 600 distinctly different cultural/language groups was never ceded. Mr Dawson is raising his daughters to be proud of their Indigenous and Cypriotheritage. if(change_link == true) { Australia Day should be the day we become a republic. var all_links = document.links[t]; When it comes to January 26, instead of organising a party with friends, consider attending an Invasion Day rally. Change the Date and we will dismantle the systems and structures that oppress us.. In this announcement, triple j said it could no longer ignore the issue after a survey conducted by the station revealed that 60% of listeners wanted the Hottest 100 moved to a different date. See where you fit on the issues that matter. For years now, Aboriginal people have said that January 26th is not a day of celebration for them. According to the Australia Day website: "The tradition of having Australia Day as a national holiday on 26 January is a recent one. The number of people who agree with that sentiment has jumped by 12 percentage points since the last Australia Talks survey in 2019 one of the biggest moves in public sentiment between the two surveys. Wouldnt that send a better message to everyone that Australia Day is a day intended for ALL Australians to celebrate? An elderly man walking along the boardwalk was adamant the date should not be changed. In fact, it was only 25 years ago that it . Specialising in community engagement and digital product growth Nebras has over 15 years experience in designing and delivering executable audience growth and content strategies across a range of leading industries and countries. Changing the date of our current Australia day celebrations provides an outlet for all Australians to come together and rejoice for everything good about our nation whilst being respectful and helping to break down colonially embedded stigmas around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This week, we encourage you to spend the time you would normally spend listening to our podcast educa We cannot change the date without overwhelming majority support for its replacement. The tradition of having Australia Day as a national holiday on 26 January is a recent one. That will take policy designed in concert with Indigenous communities and leaders, representation in places that matter, understanding of past wrongs, and likely several decades. display: none !important; This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. oldonload(); Read more stories fromThe Latchand follow us onFacebook. Start investing ethically with yourSuperandManaged Funds. Not only is the date inaccurate about the First Fleet landing, but more than that, why is Australia as a nation that considers itself a humanitarian one, celebrating the day when the annihilation of the 500 indigenous groups began? 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. For First Nations peoples, changing the date would acknowledge the pain associated with January 26. Some people also argue that changing the date will not solve the range of issues and barriers that impact the day-to-day lives of Indigenous Australians. More than half (53%) of millennials (those born between 1986 and 2002) think we should not celebrate Australia Day on January 26. What is Australia Day for? The annual public holiday on January 26 was establishedin 1994, and thousands of new Australians use the occasion to attend their citizenship ceremonies. w[ l ].push( { This move was criticised, with the Resources Minister at the time, Matt Canavan, calling it a disgraceful decision. 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. 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. In 2021, this number jumped up to 39%. He knew that Australia Day was not a celebratory day from an Aboriginal perspective, and did not bother with the pretense that it ever could be. [3] [4] Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding . Today's episode is a very important one. 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. /* ]]> */ breadboard. But there are some, like prime minister Scott Morrison who believes that the day should remain as it is. So if a lot of us dont even know what the day is for, whats the harm in picking a date thats less distressing? var change_link = false; 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. j = d.createElement( s ), dl = l != 'dataLayer' ? Check out our website to get more details. document.links[t].setAttribute('onClick', 'javascript:window.open(\''+all_links.href+'\'); return false;'); .podcast-banner.show_mobile { But the generational differences are significant. Although we acknowledge that changing dates will by no means address or make up for the full detriment of non-Indigenous actions, nor will it solve the long term, ongoing impacts and complexities of colonialism, we do believe its a step in the right direction towards reconciliation. The ABC shouldnt be buying into this debate, Fifield said at the time. Even if the date is a floating one every year the same way Easter or the Melbourne Cup is decided. Wouldnt the day that Australia abolished this act and, on paper at least, welcomed non-white migrants into Australia make more sense as a day to celebrate what is great about Australia and being Australian. The equivalent for Australia is July 9, 1900. 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. Each year, a growing number of Australians acknowledge that the 26thof January is not an appropriate date for an inclusive celebration. A record number of27,000 people were bestowed with Australian citizenship on January 26th, 2020. } 10 de jul. What is Australia Day to Aboriginals? Despite generations of violence and interference from settler colonialists, First Peoples have not been defeated. Just over 26 per cent of our 24 million Australians were born overseas and many were granted their citizenship on January 26. "It was mainly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were marching the streets and protesting, demonstrating and so no-one was part of a formal, larger, wider conversation," she said. Putting ethics at the centre of everyday life. Kamilaroi dancer Russell Dawson's cultural education and performance company Koomurri Entertainment has seen a rise in bookings on Australia Day. Australia Day should be a day that reflects what our ideals are and how we imagine our country. In fact, the real date is actually somewhere a week or so before January 26th. s.src = 'https://au-script.dotmetrics.net/door.js?d=' + document.location.host + '&t=other'; h.appendChild(s); Then to have a separate day of celebration, inclusive for all. Forms & Factsheets It is not just Indigenous people who have a long history of opposition to this date. In 2016, Fremantle Council voted to change its Australia Day celebrations out of respect for Indigenous Australians, while Byron Shire Council in New South Wales has moved some of its festivities from January 26. Read the kidcyber page about the First Fleet. It might not be the easiest sell, however. display: none; Consider also using January 26 as an opportunity to donate to an Indigenous organisation or charity, take in anti-racist resources, and refresh yourself on how to support BIPOC in the long term. Join the conversation SIGNS THAT UKRAINE COULD ACTUALLY WIN THIS It's a miracle. 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. 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=' + i + dl; } )( window, document, 'script', 'dataLayer', 'GTM-W5PMGDG' ); The date change is like the key to your house, you need it to open the front door, Sarra wrote. In 2020 we are giving our staff the option to work on the Australia Day public holiday Monday 27 January and take a day off at another time. A belief in white righteousness quietened the voices of reason and fairness when the first fleet landed on the shores of this continent. Gemma McKinnon, If Indigenous Voices Cant Even Be Heard on Australia Day, What Hope Have We Got? ABC News, 23 January 2018. window.dm.AjaxEvent = function(et, d, ssid, ad){ //]]> } Now about 28 per cent of Australians want the date to be moved, according to a new survey by Nine News and Sydney Morning Herald . Now, she said, Australians from all walks of life are more invested in learning more "about our shared history [and] understanding Indigenous perspectives". You want a day to celebrate Australia. Ihsan is used to describe Islamic excellence and its pursuit. Meanwhile, 1994 was the year that all Australian states and territories began to celebrate Australia Day consistently as a public holiday on January 26. In fact, they label it a Day of Mourning, Invasion Day, or Survival Day.. There is no greater opportunity for that conversation than one simple question: What date should Australia Day be held on? As the national conversation continues to be debated, we think its important to reflect on the ever-present reality the date signifies for our nations First Peoples. Found a perfect sample but need a unique one? This is the date the City of Fremantle council chose to use this . Australias First Peoples are diverse with different perspectives and views. Changing the date is accountability, its saying that we f**ked up, real bad. Former Federal Communications Minister, Mitch Fifield, also joined the conversation, saying he was bewildered by the decision. Australia Day does not exist on January 26. Changing the date is not the outcome nor is it a magical cure to generational trauma, but it is the key in changing mindsets. Its worth noting that it was on the third ever national Australia Day that a notable Indigenous protest was created. 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. #post-1784265 .brightcove-video-container { No & it wasnt 1994, it was 1946 that the 26th January became our National Day & as a Ngadjuri Aboriginal all my Mob celebrate our National Day with pride. If you would like to portray Australia as the inclusive and multicultural nation it already is, then one way to do it is to change the day of Australia Day. It is the plain and simple truth of what the 26th of January represents, regardless of how you phrase it. Not until 1994 did they begin to celebrate Australia Day consistently as a public holiday on that date.. Fifty-nine percent of survey respondents agreed the Black Lives Matter movement, which gained renewed tractionlast year after the murder of George Floyd in the US, was making an important contribution to conversations about racial injustice in Australia. 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. The date signifies the beginning of a long, painful history of bloody genocide, slavery, stolen land and stolen children that lasted hundreds of years. If this article brings up any issues for you or anyone you know, or you have experienced targeted violence, please contact Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), both of which provide trained counsellors you can talk with 24/7. 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. change_link = false; You should consider seeking advice from an authorised financial adviser before making an investment decision. And yes, the survey was multiple choice. 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. 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. Isnt that the epitome of cruelty? The Bulletin focuses on three main areas: nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies, including developments in biotechnology. Therefore, Australia Day should be changed to a more appropriate date that truly represents Australians at our finest. You could say that this was the day we finally came together as Aussies. Young people overwhelmingly supported a new direction 65 per cent of Australians aged 18-24 and 71 per cent aged 25-29 were also in favour of a change. Maybe some Australians dont think about the negative connotations of celebrating Australia Day on a day with such bloody history, but many think its unacceptable. Ive written about that date before, its origins and forgotten storiesand recent almost-comical attempts to protect a public holiday. function external_links_in_new_windows_loop() { All of these decisions were criticised by the federal government at the time. In fact, Australia comes in thetop five nations for inclusiveness, only be beaten by Canada, USA, South Africa, and France. 8 Reasons Why The Date for Australia Day Should Be Changed. You should obtain a copy of the relevant product disclosure statement and target market determination, before making any financial decisions in relation to these products or services. Did you find this helpful? ( function( w, d, s, l, i ) { "A celebration of Australia should happen on a different date so we can have a day of reflection on 26 Jan for the broad Australian population to become familiar with the atrocities that have been committed to the Aboriginal people since white settlement." Many responders said they just wanted a public holiday. Post continues below. Traditional low carb, high fat keto s primary goal is usually rapid weight loss keto diet philosophy weight loss motivators or a reduction of . { In 1938, 100 Aboriginal people from across the country chose thatdate to meet to condemn "the degrading and humiliating" treatment of Indigenous communities. None of those things can only be done on the 26th of January, and if it was on any other day then maybe more Indigenous people would feel like celebrating with the rest of the nation. Regardless of the emotional ties, it is, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, The day Australias course changed forever.. .postid-1764461 .panel-signup { Tomorrow must come In most other nations, the national day marks independence (often from the British) or foundation. 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. Thats when the First Fleet landed on Sydneys Botany Bay. Changing the nation involves settler colonialists being more aware of the history of invasion and brutal settlement, as well as the continuing impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Definitely. .page-id-1799240 .entry-title { (CrescentWealth), Blog What's on } As the majority of the Australian population is non-Indigenous, it speaks to the beginning of this part of Australias history. You came here only recently, and you took our land away from us by force. There is a growing movement in Australia to 'change the date' of Australia Day to a day more inclusive of all Australians. A day we come together and reflect on our collective national history. Since Australia Talks last surveyed Australians on changing attitudes around Indigenous recognition in 2019, tens of thousands of people have marched through capital cities as part of Black Lives Matter protests. Crystal Andrews is a journalist, author and founder of social news platform @zee_feed. 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