It was 199-years-ago when Australia Day became an official, national holiday. It was the year 1818 and a fitting 30 years after HMS Sirius sailed in, marking British Settlement in Australia.
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Those poking holes into the patriotic holiday is not a new phenomenon. For years this has been a topic of controversy. Now it’s changed, councils have decided to take affirmative action to the cries carrying claims of injustice, a lack of retribution and widespread historical ignorance.
This includes talks of even changing citizenship ceremonies to pave the way for more culturally appropriate events.
For some, Australia Day is simply a day off, or an opportunity to invite friends and family over. For others it’s a time to raise the flag in remembrance. It is critical to note the day has no one meaning to no one person.
Goulburn Mulwaree Mayor Bob Kirk released a preemptive statement on Tuesday stating his support for one of his favourite events on the calendar.
“I do not believe it is up to a council to make a decision on the importance or appropriateness of Australia Day,” he said, standing by Australia Day.
A poll on the Goulburn Post website revealed 74 per cent want to see celebrations continue, followed by those divided between further council discussions (11pc) and a belief the day should be scrapped (16pc).
There appears to be a ridge between Indigenous history and its place in our political sphere. This void, which appears to radiate perpetual misunderstanding, can be spotted in more than one area.
The fact that councils are speaking up about this shows that Australia suffers from an identity crisis which has for too long remained buried.
The decision to change, keep or remove the day doesn’t solve the larger issue at play. To some degree it is a conflict of a traditional commonwealth ideology and the multicultural sphere of tomorrow.
Conversely, these terse confrontations solidify how blind our local, state and federal governments are to these diverse viewpoints, as painful as they may seem. It is not really Australia Day if people do not unite, regardless of which side of the fence you sit on.
Political correctness is often branded as an unwanted thorn wedged between public discourse and development. As Winston Churchill once said, courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
