And it enabled colonisers and settlers to participate in and/or witness without objection decades of massacres, land and resource theft, rape, cultural genocide and other acts of violence towards First Peoples. You dont pretend your birthday was on a different day you look at your whole lifes experience, Morrison said. These antiquated worldviews of white superiority will continue to haunt Australia until a critical mass has self reflected on power and privilege and whiteness, and acknowledges past and present injustices. oldonload(); Therefore, Australia Day should be changed to a more appropriate date that truly represents Australians at our finest. 872 Words 4 Pages Good Essays The equivalent for Australia is July 9, 1900. For years now, Aboriginal people have said that January 26th is not a day of celebration for them. What is Australia Day for? 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. But thats inaccurate. Maybe then we might see people who arent fascists and racists declaring themselves patriots. Australian Ethical acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the country on which we work, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and recognise and celebrate their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. if (typeof window.onload != 'function'){ display: none !important; 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. Many are asking whether Australia Day should be on January 26th. Changing the date is not the outcome nor is it a magical cure to generational trauma, but it is the key in changing mindsets. It was inconsiderate to have changed the date in 1994 to the 26th January. The answer will tell us all we need to know about how great a country Australia is. Tony Birch, Tony Birch: A Change of Date Will Do Nothing to Shake Australia From Its Colonial-Settler Triumphalism, IndigenousX, 21 January 2018. } To start with, were having honest and open conversations around January 26, the national mood and changing the date. window.onload = function(){ Its time to air our dirty laundry and heal the wounds side by side, and make a better future for all Australians. Mr Wyatt questioned the Australia Talks findings. Below is an excerpt from Crystal Andrews book How To Win Every Argument: A No-Filter Guide To Being Right About Everything. It is not that a date that will ever be forgotten. why shotgun shell shortage Earlier this year, we temporarily stopped shipments of Wegovy 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg dose strengths. Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said he did not agree with changing the date. Use of the information contained on this page is governed by Australian law and is subject to the terms and conditions on this website. 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. img#wpstats{display:none} 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. 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. (Supplied: Australian War Memorial)January 28. Australia Day was only formalised as a national holiday in 1994 to some, thats not a very longstanding tradition. This happened back in 1788, and it marks the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia. document.links = document.getElementsByTagName('a'); "We're trying to dig a little bit deeper about making it more meaningful," she said. You came here only recently, and you took our land away from us by force. There is literally no other way. A day to reflect on the dark parts of our history, so we can move forward together as a nation.. And how can we celebrate our nation on a date that so many mourn? if(force != '' && all_links.href.search(force) != -1) { And that's one of many reasons why Australia Day should be changed from January 26th to some other more suitable day. There are no sound reasons why the date shouldn't be changed but there are plenty of reasons why the nation needs to change. The fight for rights is not over. Considering that the Aboriginal people and their culture is an inherent part of Australia and its history, labeling a day they deem as derogatory and unworthy to be called Australia Day, should be taken into account. Today many Australians celebrate Christmas for other reasons: family; end of another hard year; food and drink; and summer holidays. Not until 1994 did they begin to celebrate Australia Day consistently as a public holiday on that date." 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. /* */ Itll help, promise. The history of Australia, and the history of its national day, is fraught with controversy and suffering.There are a tonne of good reasons why the calls to change the date get louder each year and there is growing recognition amongst the non-Indigenous population that January 26th is not the date to celebrate. 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. Secondly, changing the date would spare indigenous Australian and islanders the painful reminder of their loss of country, family and culture. The information shown on this site is general information only. There are many things we want to celebrate about Australia, but 26 January doesn't represent an inclusive day for everyone. 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. Combining eons of their own advances in sciencewith long standing trade relations with Muslim neighbours, First Peoples were already on an enviable trajectory. There is a growing movement in Australia to 'change the date' of Australia Day to a day more inclusive of all Australians. For former Christian Super members, the USI is: CHR0001AU. and fast. In 2017 thousands marched in protests across the country. 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? 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. Does Medical Insurance Cover . // console.log('ignore ' + all_links.href); } else { In 2019, just 28 per centof respondents were strongly in favour of seeing a shift to the date, in 2021 that went upto 39 per cent. Several local councils around the country have stopped celebrating Australia Day on January 26 against the wishes of the Federal Government. Just Another Australia Day Post Hoping To Make You Feel All The Feels. if(typeof window.DotMetricsObj != 'undefined') {DotMetricsObj.onAjaxDataUpdate();} Definitely. Even though many Australians are apathetic about the date that Australia Day should be held (56% polled saidthey didnt care about it), other Australians, including Aboriginals want the date changed. 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. Its important to understand that colonialism is still ongoing. Because, when it comes to this tradition, what exactly are we celebrating? This move was criticised, with the Resources Minister at the time, Matt Canavan, calling it a disgraceful decision. That seems like a more appropriate day to celebrate Australias independence and sovereignty rather than January 26th. I choose not to repeat myself, because the date will change. Things like festival pill-testing, renewable vs. fossil fuel-generated energy, whether free speech is dead and, yes, a whole chapter on Survival/Australia Day. 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. From a political standpoint, there are a few ways to move Australia Day. We believe 26 January should be a day of learning, respect and reconciliation. 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. document.links[t].removeAttribute('target'); 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. In 2017, national youth radio station triple j announced it was moving its annual Hottest 100 music countdown from January 26 to another date close by. A record number of27,000 people were bestowed with Australian citizenship on January 26th, 2020. Our site uses cookies. 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. Here is why. Melbourne City Council will likely advocate for the federal government to change the date of Australia Day while still holding . 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. According to the Australia Day website: "The tradition of having Australia Day as a national holiday on 26 January is a recent one. Read more about why we need to change the date of Australia Day: In fact, Australia comes in thetop five nations for inclusiveness, only be beaten by Canada, USA, South Africa, and France. These are just a few of many reasons of why we should change the date of Australia day. In calling for a change to the date of Australia Day (yes, it's that time of the year again) Ester Gaia (CT, January 13) uses the emotive "British invasion and occupation" language to try to reduce the significance of the date. 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. Luke Pearson, Why I No Longer Support #changethedate, IndigenousX, January 2019. Other "Australia days" were held on. It took only 120 years to eliminate 90% of them. We invest in companies to have a positive impact on the planet, people and animals. 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You should consider seeking advice from an authorised financial adviser before making an investment decision. January 26: Its one of Australias most divisive days. AFS Licence 365260 Obviously, he isnt considering the full picture and the entire experience of all the Australian citizens. } var oldonload = window.onload; Enoch said there are arguments on both sides of the . The voice of whiteness is also found in present arguments, like when the violence of settlement is justified by what the British introduced. Crescent Think Tank. } Did you find this helpful? For many people, January 26 means two things: a public holiday and a boozy BBQ celebration. This is a critical time in Australian history. [CDATA[ */ Wouldnt we want a date that represents our Australian way inclusive and multicultural? Warning: This article deals with the topic of targeted violence against certain groups and may be triggering for some readers. } 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. If we want to see Australia as a colonial outpost for the British then maybe that day makes sense, but if we want to regard Australia as a vibrant multicultural nation, and if we want to regard Indigenous peoples as a core part of the modern Australian identity then it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to have Australia Day on that date. s.type = 'text/javascript'; 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. Indigenous designer, artist and activist, Rachael Sarra, explained the importance of this on Instagram. }; If you are in immediate danger, call 000. Before acting on it, consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and read the Financial Services Guide, the Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination relevant to the product which is available on our website. Connect the output pin of TSOP1738 to Arduino digital pin 11 to get the decoded output. Counselling and bespoke consulting programs to help you make better decisions and navigate complexity. It was only in 1994, 26 years ago, that it officially became a public holiday. Former Federal Communications Minister, Mitch Fifield, also joined the conversation, saying he was bewildered by the decision. At the time, many people pledged to educate themselves on what it takes to be an effective anti-racist ally. According to the ABCs Australia Talks National Survey 2021, a whack of people now believe Australia Day should not be celebrated on January 26, given the historical significance of the date for First Nations peoples. In 1938, 100 Aboriginal people from across the country chose thatdate to meet to condemn "the degrading and humiliating" treatment of Indigenous communities. Nayuka Gorrie, No Matter Which Day the Country Chooses to Host Its Australia Day, I Will Not Be Participating, NITV, 24 January 2019. 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. w[ l ] = w[ l ] || []; Women and men had differing thoughts on the question of whether Australia Day should be moved it wasone of the Australia Talks survey questions on which men and women were most divided. Crystal Andrews is a journalist, author and founder of social news platform @zee_feed. All of these decisions were criticised by the federal government at the time. It might not be the easiest sell, however. } Fifield also wrote to the Chair of the ABC urging the station to reconsider. 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. January 26 is the legacy of the horrific past and the connection of this trauma to the present. } The Commonwealth of Australia was formed on May 9, 1901, when Australia's first parliament convened and the six British colonies merged to . Not until 1994 did they begin to celebrate Australia Day consistently as a public holiday on that date.. January 26 is a source of pain that non-Indigenous Australians just dont experience and sends a message to Indigenous people, the true custodians of the country we enjoy, that they arent part of the story of this nation. This movement sparked a number of much-needed conversations including the ways in which systemic racism operates within this country. The date will change. Melbourne City Council likely to advocate Australia Day date change. 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. Tomorrow must come In most other nations, the national day marks independence (often from the British) or foundation. The entire premise upon which this Australia Day is based is shoddy and thus, the idea that this day should be celebrated is farcical. Join the conversation SIGNS THAT UKRAINE COULD ACTUALLY WIN THIS It's a miracle. He also plays a key role in ensuring research services business intelligence processes and operations are conducted in accordance with all audience measurement guidelines. window.onload = func; But why not some other day how about the day that Australia garnered independence from the British empire, i.e., 9th October? The marking of 26 January is an important date in Australia's history and has changed over time: starting as a celebration for emancipated convicts and evolving into what is . Thats when the First Fleet landed on Sydneys Botany Bay. She saidthe change in attitude around Australia Day was a sign the country was "growing and maturing as a reconciled nation". 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. .postid-1764461 .sidebar-widget.popular-jobs-widget{ Karen Wyld is an author, living by the coast in South Australia. Australia Day or Survival Day as they know it is a date of immense significance for the Dawson family from south-west Sydney. WATCH: Do Uni Students Have Skin Care Routines? s.src = 'https://au-script.dotmetrics.net/door.js?d=' + document.location.host + '&t=other'; h.appendChild(s); Today's episode is a very important one. window.dm = window.dm ||{ AjaxData:[]}; 3. Your support will ensure IndigenousX is able to stay independent and keep making original content. "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. Trans-generational, or inherited trauma, is. In 2021, this number jumped up to 39%. Change the nation. 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