if(force != '' && all_links.href.search(force) != -1) { "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. It was only in 1994, 26 years ago, that it officially became a public holiday. That's 5% down from last year and an 11% drop from 2019. These are held every year around the country and allow you to support First Nations people on an upsetting day. Why some are celebrating Australia Day. And, now the insensitivity is well known, its selfish not to change the date again. 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 very best of TheLatch delivered straight to your inbox. The changing of the date of Australia Day would broadcast our sincerity and hope for reconciliation for what the first settlers committed. Luke Pearson is a Gamilaroi man living in NSW. In June 2020, following the death of Black man George Floyd at the hands of the American police in Minnesota, Black Lives Matter protests occurred around the world, including here in Australia. When is Australia Day? Australia has only had 21 years of holding Australia Day on the 26th of January, surely that isnt too many years to acknowledge that it was a poor choice and move it to a better day. } ( Read full column here .) And that's one of many reasons why Australia Day should be changed from January 26th to some other more suitable day. Why not share this news? Therefore, Australia Day should be changed to a more appropriate date that truly represents Australians at our finest. 872 Words 4 Pages Good Essays Former Federal Communications Minister, Mitch Fifield, also joined the conversation, saying he was bewildered by the decision. Seeing how this negatively affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be enough for white Australians to understand the importance of changing the date. } ()); They treasure it and use the anniversary to mark it, as do their children. But every celebration, every BBQ, every family gathering, is tainted by the knowledge that this day was the beginning of the end for many Aboriginal people. Changing the date is saying, we trust you to determine your own lives, we value your knowledge, and most importantly, its saying we dont want you to hurt anymore at the hands of our celebration. w[ l ] = w[ l ] || []; if(typeof window.DotMetricsObj != 'undefined') {DotMetricsObj.onAjaxDataUpdate();} That means that the Day of Mourning (1938) is only 3 years younger than Australia Day as we know it today, and everyone having Australia Day on the 26th of January has happened notably less times than I have celebrated my birthday. Crescent Wealth acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. A nation that is not, and has never been fair, free or young. 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. display: none; 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. There are now signs the Ukrainians could actually beat the huge Russian army. Well,most people assume that the reason this day was chosen because thats when the First Fleet landed in Australia. 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? 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. While marketed as a day of celebration, January 26 marks the day that Australias First Nations people lost their country. It will always be the day that the First (not really) Fleet came to Australia. If it doesnt really matter to most people when Australia Day is held, but it does to the Aboriginal community, then why not just change the date of Australia Day? 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. 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. So, before you get into a Facebook comment war with a profile picture of a V8 Commodore, read the below excerpt from How to Win Every Argument: A No-Filter Guide to Being Right About Everything. change_link = true; Australia Day: Should we change the date? All of these decisions were criticised by the federal government at the time. Counselling and bespoke consulting programs to help you make better decisions and navigate complexity. [CDATA[ Since 1938, the 26thof January continues to be commemorated as a Day of Mourning. 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. We cannot change the date without overwhelming majority support for its replacement. May 9, the day of the first sitting of Federal Parliament in 1901 and the day that Parliament moved to Canberra in 1927. Found a perfect sample but need a unique one? // ignored var f = d.getElementsByTagName( s )[ 0 ], According to the Australia Day website: "The tradition of having Australia Day as a national holiday on 26 January is a recent one. 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 . A day we come together and reflect on our collective national history. Crazily enough, it wasnt until 2008 that the then prime minister Kevin Rudd formally apologized to the Aboriginals for the atrocities committed against them, like forced child removals and cultural destruction through assimilation. Of course, many employees can choose to take both days off, so they can be with their families. It compares the demographics of the 60,000 survey respondents with census data to weight responses by sex, age, education, language, geography and vote to ensure the views of Australians are accurately reflected. I choose not to repeat myself, because the date will change. January 26 does have historical significance. Australia has a long way to go. 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. The equivalent for Australia is July 9, 1900. Gemma McKinnon, If Indigenous Voices Cant Even Be Heard on Australia Day, What Hope Have We Got? ABC News, 23 January 2018. It begins with treating well the people who were there first. Today's episode is a very important one. And yes, the survey was multiple choice. If you need help applying or want to talk super, call us on 1300 926 626. It is not just Indigenous people who have a long history of opposition to this date. The national online poll canvassed the views of 1222 Australians between January 19 and January 22 on their views on changing the Australia Day date, its importance to improving the lives of Indigenous Australians and to what extent they think Indigenous Australians face racism in Australia today. He also plays a key role in ensuring research services business intelligence processes and operations are conducted in accordance with all audience measurement guidelines. Ihsan is used to describe Islamic excellence and its pursuit. 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. Australia Day was only formalised as a national holiday in 1994 to some, thats not a very longstanding tradition. 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. window.onload = func; The answer will tell us all we need to know about how great a country Australia is. Join us! 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. 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. } We are willing to look at our bias, and we are ready to put your needs first because we know we could have done better. Today is not a protest: we gather to reflect on why this date is better than any of the other 364 days. While many Australians argue that we have much to celebrate about this country, it shouldnt come at the expense of our First Nations peoples. Having lived on this continent for close to 80,000 years and surviving the violence of colonisation and ongoing injustices of non-Indigenous settlement, the voices of First Peoples cannot be dismissed. func(); It could be: A rolling date, set on the third Friday in January to guarantee a long weekend every year (very much here for this). Many companies have actually started giving their employees another day off, like January 27th, and leaving January 26th as a working day. This is a critical time in Australian history. By comparison, Indigenous Australians have been protesting on the date since 1938 well before it was made a national holiday! Changing the date is accountability, its saying that we f**ked up, real bad. window.onload = function(){ After all, doesnt the national anthem say: Australians all let us rejoice? This is the date the City of Fremantle council chose to use this . The unfortunate reality for the Australia Day Council, and for the rest of the nation, is that this isnt an issue that is ever going to go away. The frontier wars did not result in victory for settler colonialists, because the fight is not over. Before making an investment decision, you need to consider (with or without the assistance of an adviser) whether this information is appropriate to your needs, objectives and circumstances. 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. "That doesn't mean we have got there we still have a long way to go but I do think the maturity shows we are now thinking about the relationship between [Indigenous and non-Indigenous people] and how we repair the relationship," she said. You should consider seeking advice from an authorised financial adviser before making an investment decision. What is Australia Day? Join over 10,000 members by joiningAustralias only Islamic Super Fund. 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. '&l=' + l : ''; -------------------------------------------------------------. 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