Australia Day 26 January

[Tigaman]

Once again we have the few who keep chipping away at Australian tradition. Will Comrade Albo endorse their Policy ?.

Councils cancel Australia Day ceremonies

More than 80 councils have removed the popular event from their January 26 festivities, sparking claims from the federal opposition that the Prime Minister is trying to abolish the tradition.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[TrialByVideo]

As I've grown up and become far older and hopefully, somewhat more enlightened and informed, I've taken the view it wouldn't be too difficult to move the Australia Day celebrations to a different date.
Let's be honest, plenty of the population just see it as a day off and if it falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, they'll take a Monday or a Friday and turn it into a longer, long weekend.
Pick a month and have it on the first, second or third Monday or Friday of that month. May help solve the LLWE issue, whilst moving it from a date which is seen by many as divisive.

I love Australia and even more so now as I look at the turmoil and intolerance in other parts of the world. I'm grateful every day to live here.

My grandmother's youngest brother aged 18, is buried in a Commonwealth War Grave at a small French town named Wimereux and her oldest brother died some years after WW1 from the effects of mustard gas poisoning. Due to the family history of those events, Anzac Day and Remembrance Day are of more significance to me.

Australia Day wasn’t always January 26, but it was always an issue

Australia Day has not always been celebrated on January 26, and the meaning of the date has been contested historically and today.

theconversation.com

 

[Tigers of Old]

Change it when we become a Republic.

 

[spook]

We absolutely should change the date. The issue is to when?

The May 8 (Mate) suggestion is cringe af, and besides, who wants a public holiday in May. Part of the resistance to changing the current date is that the timing is perfect: a bit of respite from the pain of having to go back to work at the height of summer after Christmas/new year indulgences.

So, I say make it January 27. January 26 can be a day of mourning, reflection, or tedious bitter old bigoted whingeing - player's choice. Then the next day we celebrate everything we love about the country, which includes summer long weekends.

That should satisfy everyone except the most stubborn of bleaters (hai, OP!).

 

[Coburgtiger]

Once again we have the few who keep chipping away at Australian tradition. Will Comrade Albo endorse their Policy ?.

Councils cancel Australia Day ceremonies

More than 80 councils have removed the popular event from their January 26 festivities, sparking claims from the federal opposition that the Prime Minister is trying to abolish the tradition.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Have you not had enough of a chance to poke at our indigenous population since the Voice thread died?

Looking for a fight?

 

[Tigaman]

Have you not had enough of a chance to poke at our indigenous population since the Voice thread died?

Looking for a fight?

My dear Burger I considered this topic which I viewed on the Daily Mail was of interest to members of PRE thus one thanks you for your pathetic contribution. Looks like I got under your skin so if you want a fight meet you at Moore Park Reservoir { Lakies old ground ) noon 26 Jan 2024. After that we go & have grog at the Edwardes Lake pub to lick our wounds.

 

[Sintiger]

I am starting to think that we should not change it now. My reasoning is that after the rejection of the Voice everything else seems like scraps, lip service.
It is like we are saying “ we won’t give you what you really want but here are a few little tidbits to keep you happy”
Even talking about it as a possibility is raising hopes again, probably to be dashed.
I don’t know, not sure.

 

[larabee]

My solution is not to change the date, but change the name of the day to give it more accurate meaning.

Because of course in 1788, the continent the first fleet landed in was known on maps as New Holland (west) and New South Wales (east).

Australia (or Terra Australis - Southern Land) referred at that time to the then undiscovered and theorised continent now known as Antartica.

The name Australia only came in to popular use in the 1800s, and of course only officially as the name for the country as opposed to a group of colonies from federation in 1901.
The public holiday has only been going since 1994, so hardly a “tradition”.

So happy “British Colony of New South Wales Day”.
Except for WA, they were still New Holland until 1832.

 

[tigerman]

Rather than celebrate the arrival of the First Fleet, why not celebrate the day we became independent of the United Kingdom.

The "Australia Act" on March the third 1986 is the day Australia was no longer beholden to the laws of the United Kingdom's courts and the legislation of the UK's government........just 37 years ago !!!!

 

[Tigaman]

Two sides to this argument !! The Few 5% want to change it. The Rest 95% want it to stay as it is ?. Year after year we have to put with such crap ?. If it aint this it is that. If it is not that & this it is something else. We have enough on our plates to worry about in our day to day lives . This Few are never happy & get their kicks out of making other peoples life a hardship. Are you one of them ?.

 

[Coburgtiger]

My dear Burger I considered this topic which I viewed on the Daily Mail was of interest to members of PRE thus one thanks you for your pathetic contribution. Looks like I got under your skin so if you want a fight meet you at Moore Park Reservoir { Lakies old ground ) noon 26 Jan 2024. After that we go & have grog at the Edwardes Lake pub to lick our wounds.

Organised violence would be the best way to commemorate the 26th, I guess.

But no, I will, of course, decline your invitation. I wish you luck in finding someone to fight though.

You clearly have a cause that you need to shout into the abyss.

 

[Baloo]

Last Monday of February is as good a day as any. Still good weather, not many other public holidays around that time. Float it so it's always a Monday.

Agree with ToO that we should ensure that we become a republic on a good day for a public holiday and mark it then.

My simple view on the date is that if there is a significant portion of the population who find Jan 26th a date that causes pain for them, then why do we keep it? It makes no sense. It's a day for all Australians. Holding hard to a date that is the anniversary of when the English established Australia as a penal colony is just plain odd, unless you're a direct descendant of a prison warden.

 

[Tigaman]

Last Monday of February is as good a day as any. Still good weather, not many other public holidays around that time. Float it so it's always a Monday.

Agree with ToO that we should ensure that we become a republic on a good day for a public holiday and mark it then.

My simple view on the date is that if there is a significant portion of the population who find Jan 26th a date that causes pain for them, then why do we keep it? It makes no sense. It's a day for all Australians. Holding hard to a date that is the anniversary of when the English established Australia as a penal colony is just plain odd, unless you're a direct descendant of a prison warden.

Go back to the old system which was last Monday of January. Who wants a holiday mid week anyway when long weekends were a Australian tradition enjoyed by all. Besides that The Spew (The Few) will still bleat led by the Green Brigade etc etc..

 

[TigerMasochist]

Just pick a Monday or a Friday somewhere and rename it slack arse long weekend day. That way the only people who can complain are the unfortunate numpties that have to work on the day to provide entertainment for the slack arses, and we won't care anyway because we'll be slacking off.

Doesn't matter what day they choose to call Oz day, some prick will find an excuse to whinge about it. You can make some people happy some of the time, but you'll never make all of the people happy at the same time.

 

[GhostofJimJess]

Just pick a Monday or a Friday somewhere and rename it slack arse long weekend day. That way the only people who can complain are the unfortunate numpties that have to work on the day to provide entertainment for the slack arses, and we won't care anyway because we'll be slacking off.

Doesn't matter what day they choose to call Oz day, some prick will find an excuse to whinge about it. You can make some people happy some of the time, but you'll never make all of the people happy at the same time.

Agree. I don't think it was even a public holiday until the 1990's, so it's not like it's a longstanding tradition. I certainly have no recollection of any sort of Aust Day celebration as a kid.

Besides, for anyone under 18 or still at uni they're still on school holidays anyway, so it's just another day off amongst 6-8 weeks of summer break.

Put it in the period July-October when there's no other public holidays and we can make a bit of a fuss about it. It can even provide another blockbuster opportunity for AFL clubs if in July or August.

 

[bigwow]

Why not this date: 9 October 1942, to coincide with the adoption of the Statute of Westminster,

An act of the Australian Parliament that formally adopted sections 2–6 of the Statute of Westminster 1931, an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom enabling the total legislative independence of the various self-governing Dominions of the British Empire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_Westminster_Adoption_Act_1942#:~:text=The Statute of Westminster Adoption,Dominions of the British Empire

Who knew year 11 legal studies would ever be of value.

October works, since there's bugger all other public holidays around then.

 

[achillesjones]

The bigger question now is what is Australia? Do we care anymore? What are our core values and do we as a nation stand for anything?
Our demographic has changed so much that the issue is not when we celebrate but what we are celebrating.

 

[Tigaman]

Agree. I don't think it was even a public holiday until the 1990's, so it's not like it's a longstanding tradition. I certainly have no recollection of any sort of Aust Day celebration as a kid.

Besides, for anyone under 18 or still at uni they're still on school holidays anyway, so it's just another day off amongst 6-8 weeks of summer break.

Put it in the period July-October when there's no other public holidays and we can make a bit of a fuss about it. It can even provide another blockbuster opportunity for AFL clubs if in July or August.

Last Monday in January was always a public holiday as long as I could remember growing up till it became on the 26th later on.

https://museumsvictoria.com.au/article/australia-day.html

 

[Sintiger]

The bigger question now is what is Australia? Do we care anymore? What are our core values and do we as a nation stand for anything?
Our demographic has changed so much that the issue is not when we celebrate but what we are celebrating.

Great post

I am not sure what we stand for anymore. Even our political parties have changed enormously. Leaving aside the rights and wrongs of any particular position the Liberal party of today is very different to what it was when I was growing up. The ALP was the working class party, left of centre. These days it is very centrist. 1/3 of us don’t vote for either.

To me we are a confused nation. On one hand we hold onto our British colonial past and on the other we are highly multi cultural, but the reality is that we don’t embrace either as a whole nation. It’s like we don’t know who we are and are still trying to work it out.

To me (as a personal view) this is one reason why we need to be a republic. We have to make a stand and say that we aren’t what we were, we are Australia which is unique. Then forge our own identity.

 

[Baloo]

To me we are a confused nation. On one hand we hold onto our British colonial past and on the other we are highly multi cultural, but the reality is that we don’t embrace either as a whole nation. It’s like we don’t know who we are and are still trying to work it out.

To me (as a personal view) this is one reason why we need to be a republic. We have to make a stand and say that we aren’t what we were, we are Australia which is unique. Then forge our own identity.

Agree. The failed Republic referendum set this country back a fair bit. We're not sure who we are and we were to scared to take the opportunity to define that.