Thanks for liking and responding to my post @anydaynow Upon reflection my mate probably thought I was a bit over the top, but it's Australia Day. I must admit to waking a little the worse for wear after Australia Day but it’s kind of nice to see the US economy holding up this morning.. The labour market may well slow down there in the second half of 2023 taking the edge off demand and consumer spending, but you’d have to say up until now those US consumers are a resilient mob. 2.9% GDP growth is right in the sweet spot for US regulators and a good indication recent growth in equity markets is sustainable.
But back to your question, is Australia Day sustainable? At least in its current format. Or would Federation Day provide a better option? I’m not a politician, but I am an Australian, so I’ll have an “off the cuff” go at eliciting a response to your question. Or should I say as an Australian A “RED HOT GO”. I guess much of this comes back to the fact Australia’s indigenous population were and are a resilient mob themselves, having survived thousands of years in a harsh climate amidst persecution, at times repression and albeit bloody hard times. Now they are searching for a voice, and recognition of the fact Australia Day is no longer relevant to their world. Despite the fact the majority of Australians love living in the lucky country, and are more than happy to celebrate the joys and offerings the land down under has afforded them, there is nevertheless a vortex there for our lands original occupiers. New settlers to Australia love celebrating on January 26, to them its the day they obtained citizenship, a new beginning, freedom and a future. Why not just keep things as they are, all this political disturbance, social unrest and left wing idealism creates disquiet amongst an otherwise restful population, does it not?
Those living overseas may pose the question what’s all the fuss about? We don’t have a celebration day for our original land occupants pre colonisation. Why should we, they may well argue? Colonisation is simply a part of most countries existence. Survival of the fittest is a fact of life, look at the animal kingdom. The US celebrate Independence Day, the day they freed themselves from British rule (i.e., with the help of the French). There is no celebratory day on their calendar for the original American Indians, nor for the original Hawaiians, who tend to celebrate Independence Day, Thanksgiving and all the days surrounding with gusto. Yet Independence Day, like Australia Day does have its enemies. Some people believe he US was built upon slavery and therefore to celebrate the fruits of such apparent racism back then is inherently wrong and morally corrupt. Thus were we to recognise our own colonisation within Australia through a Federation Day public holiday, akin to Independence Day in the US, I’m sure there would still be protagonists. Many in Australia are calling for a day such as New Zealand's Waitangi Day, the date their marking the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and Māori chiefs on 6 February 1840. Then again there are always those who begrudge specific events, aren’t there? In this age of political correctness, atheism and anti semitism I’m sure some people shall soon see no need for the recognition of Public Holidays at Easter time. Why even have a Public holiday for Christmas many may say in years to come, it has nothing to do with my religion, they well may protest. Perhaps Labour Day shall kick on, as the workers still outnumber the proletariat, many themselves being firmly rooted in minority groups. The Queen or Kings Public Holiday may well not survive, the minority groups at large are more than likely to be out for that one.
But back to Australia Day. The majority of people in the Australian playground don’t feel personally responsible for what happened two hundred and fifty years ago when the English cruelly decimated the Aboriginal population. Nor do the majority of todays Aborigines hold them responsible. Leading Aboriginal advocates such as the late great Charles Perkins and now his film maker daughter Rachel were and are more concerned about creating awareness of what happened back then, in addition to fostering worthy recognition of their historic culture, and rightly so. Likewise descendants of our anglo saxons pioneers who sacrificed so much through oppressive conditions as convicts and then free settlers. They too are searching for recognition of the opportunities created for Australians to come, as a result of their years of sweat and toil. Reading Robert Hughes’ “A Fatal Shore” is a ghastly reminder of just how much the convicts and early convicts sacrificed to manufacture the beautiful and free country we now know to be Australia. Their noble efforts and sacrifices should not only be acknowledged, but indeed celebrated as well.
So I guess in short I don’t have an answer to your question. Federation Day sounds great, and I for one believe it could solve some of the existing heat around the Australia Day concept. But there would still be the detractors. It’s difficult, for Australia is now ostensibly a multicultural nation, with many of the new found Australian population of Asians, Indians and Arabs feeling disconnected to the events of 250 years ago, yet still eager to celebrate for them what it means to be Australian, along with the majority of our existing population. Perhaps we should leave things as they are, and continue to hold “Welcome to Country” ceremonies for our traditional land owners, out of acknowledgement and respect for their culture. That too sounds easy, but no doubt the Invasion Day stain is sure to continue in the background, forever tainting the Australia Day celebrations parading out front. Man its a quandary is it not @Anydaynow? I suppose this year if a Referendum passes the Aboriginal Voice within our Constitution the result may well be a collective discussion about Australia Day and where it sits on our future calendar. For the sake of our original landowners, existing and new Australians I do hope and pray a compromise, resolution and solution is arrived at in the near term. Australia Day, Original Landowner Recognition Day or Federation Day, whatever the outcome it has to stem the tide of the existing undercurrent, that being one of feeling guilty to be an Australian on Australia Day.
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