Australia Day or Invasion Day?
Australia's National Holiday Also Marks the Day of Its Invasion
Jan 28, 2009
2009 Australian of the Year Mick Dodson reignited a long-running debate when he suggested changing the date of Australia’s national holiday to a date more inclusive of Aborigines. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull were quick to rule out any changes. But why does this continue to be a controversial issue?
History of Australia Day
On January 26, 1788, the First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove and raised the Union Jack to symbolise the start of British colonisation.
In New South Wales, where the first colony was situated, January 26 became a day of celebration and a public holiday. The other colonies had their own Foundation Day anniversaries but January 26 gradually became a national celebration from 1888 onwards, when representatives from each state gathered in NSW to mark the centenary.
Australia Day celebrations committees were set up in the 1940s to educate people about the significance of January 26. In 1979, the federal government formed the National Australia Day Council to co-ordinate Australia Day events around the country.
Today, Australia Day is a national public holiday, and many revelers drape themselves in Australian flags while enjoying a barbeque, a day at the beach, a game of cricket, and fireworks.
History of Invasion Day
On August 22, 1770, Captain James Cook had declared Australia “terra nullius”, or “no man’s land” and claimed possession for Britain, despite the fact that the land was already inhibited by Aboriginal people.
In January 1838, state premiers celebrated 50 years of colonisation. The Sydney Gazette highlighted the success of colonisation by comparing the “untutored savage” and “miserable gunya of the wandering Aborigine” with the white “industrious and civilised man” in an “extensive and flourishing town”. Meanwhile, about 100 Aborigines gathered in Sydney for a day of mourning and protest about their treatment.
Australia Day was dubbed Invasion Day by Aborigines and their supporters during 1988 bicentenary celebrations, and protests about the continuing inequality between white and Indigenous Australians were held.
To celebrate Australia Day on January 26 is, for many, a painful reminder of the nation’s chequered history, which includes the White Australia Policy and the Stolen Generations.
Alternative Australia Day Dates
What other dates might be appropriate for Australia's national day?
- January 1: the date of Federation. This is already a public holiday for New Year’s Day.
- May 9: the opening dates of the first Federal Parliament in 1901, Old Parliament House in 1927, and the current Parliament House in 1988.
- July 9: the date that Queen Victoria passed the Australian Constitution in 1900.
Other suggestions have included:
- April 25 (ANZAC Day).
- February 13: the date of Prime Minister Rudd’s formal apology to the Stolen Generations in 2008.
- May 27, the date of the 1967 referendum when 90.77 per cent of Australians voted in favour of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders being counted in the census.
However, ANZAC Day marks the date of the Gallipoli landings in World War I and is a far more sombre occasion. The other two dates, while highly significant, relate specifically to Aboriginal people. Australia is now a multicultural society that should strive to be inclusive of people from all different cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds. Excluding minority groups increases racial tensions, which the 2005 Cronulla riots showed are still prevalent in Australia.
Changing the date of Australia Day is a largely symbolic gesture and practical measures to improve health and education services for Indigenous Australians are more important. On the other hand, a little symbolism can go a long way to mending broken hearts. Why dismiss it?
Reference
Kwan, Elizabeth. Celebrating Australia: A History of Australia Day.
