Like most of you I get peed off every year when I hear change the flag , change the anthem and change the day . An article by Warren Mundine in the dailytelegraph convinced me I need to think a bit more , it's worth a read. Part of the article and link below.
"The 26th of January is the wrong day to celebrate Australia Day.
Firstly, Australia wasn’t founded on January 26, 1788. It was founded on January 1, 1901, when six British colonies united as a single nation under the Australian Constitution.
Before then, people living in those colonies were British subjects. For most of their history the other colonies/states didn’t commemorate January 26 because it was a day of significance for NSW. They resisted embracing it as the national day, reluctant to signal NSW as the senior state.
Secondly, the tension between commemorating British conquest on the one hand and celebrating Australian identity and independence on the other isn’t going away. This isn’t a recent tension drummed up by Lefties. It’s always been there, even before anyone cared about what indigenous people think.
Now I know Australia loves its public holiday at the end of January. So declare the last Friday of January a public holiday and let the end of January continue to be part of our national routine for holidays, BBQs with friends and family, summer activities and fun.
But it doesn’t need to be on the 26th every year and it doesn’t need to be Australia’s national day.
Australia Day should be celebrated on January 1. That’s the proper day to celebrate Australia’s independence, identity and nationhood because that’s the day Australia came into being and it’s a day everyone can unite behind.
All Australians, including indigenous Australians, should be able to celebrate our country, its achievements and unique identity. The sentiments expressed on Australia Day are good and they’re sentiments most indigenous people share. But we can’t celebrate unity on a day representing conflict and conquest.
Most indigenous people will never celebrate January 26. That doesn’t mean indigenous people won’t celebrate Australia. Quite the opposite.
I want Australia Day moved — not because I don’t want to celebrate Australia but because I do."
