Nala Mansell is calling for the Prime Minister to talk to nation about Australia Day date
A Tasmanian Aboriginal leader says Australia Day “completely divides the nation” and wants the Prime Minister to talk to Australians about changing the date.
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A Tasmanian Aboriginal leader says Australia Day “completely divides the nation” and wants the Prime Minister to talk to Australians about changing the date.
Nala Mansell said protests against Australia Day had been growing since 2004 when she and a group of about 50 Aboriginal youth took to the streets of Launceston for what was to become an annual Invasion Day street march.
“Most people love having a public holiday during summer in Tasmania but for many, taking a moral stance has become more important,” she said.
“We now have nearly 5000 people joining in our protests and rallies in Nipaluna/Hobart and Limilinauri/Devonport.
“The most well attended event in lutruwita/Tasmania is no longer an Australia Day celebration, but the protests against it-which is something that we can all be proud of.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says there are no plans to change Australia Day.
“My priority, to bring the nation together, and to bring an uplifting moment, is to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands people in our Constitution,” he said in an interview.
“Let’s focus on recognising the fact that our nation’s birth certificate should proudly recognise that we did not begin in 1788, which is what the 26th of January commemorates, it began at least 60,000 years ago with the oldest continuous civilisation on earth.
“That should be a source of pride.”
Ms Mansell said for Aboriginal people January 26th was “a painful reminder of the many atrocities committed against our people and all that was lost as a result”.
“We are ready to abolish the January 26th celebrations, declare an official day of mourning and start the conversation about a new more appropriate date, if any.
“But until the Prime Minister steps up to the discussion table, lutruwita/Tasmania will continue to make our own changes and lead the way on the Australia day/Invasion day issue.
“The fact that Australia is one of the only countries in the world that still holds its national day of celebration on the date it was invaded shows how far we still have to go in our struggle for recognition and reconciliation, but it’s our elected leaders who are letting us down, not the people of Australia.”
Ms Mansell said after copping abuse at the march in Launceston 19 years ago Tasmanians were now understanding why it was such a difficult day for Aborigines.
“It’s not just the massive crowds who march the streets each year who have helped educate others and progress the issue, it’s the local councils, sports clubs, current and previous Premiers, radio stations, venue owners, and employers who have all shown that leadership can grow from the ground up, by moving all celebrations and events away from the date to be more inclusive,” she said.
A government spokesperson said the Tasmanian government was open to discussions about changing the date of Australia Day to “a day that all Australians, including Tasmanian Aboriginal people, can celebrate”.
‘Voices for change getting louder’: Pitch to move ceremony
An Australia Day citizenship ceremony — held as part of the Sandy Bay Regatta for more than 50 years — may be moved from next year.
The Hobart City Council on Monday night will consider a change to the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code allowing citizenship ceremonies to be held on Australia Day or the three days prior or three days after.
Council officers have recommended aldermen support moving the citizenship ceremony in line with its 2017 vote to advocate for changing Australia Day from January 26,
“There are mixed community views regarding the date of Australia Day with the Council receiving both positive and negative public response when proposing to change the date of our citizenship ceremony in 2017,” the officers said.
“It is noted that at that time, the city would have been one of the first councils nationally to take that step.
“This situation has changed considerably over the past five years with several more mainland councils changing the date of their ceremonies and noting that a change in date would be in line with the amendment to the Code from the Australian Government.”
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said since council voted six years ago, support for changing the date for Australia Day had grown.
“We’ve seen in the last few days big corporations including Woolworths and Telstra, universities and some law firms give their staff the chance to swap the date and work on Australia Day if they want to,” Ms Reynolds said.
“This is in solidarity with the Aboriginal community who everybody realises had their land taken away from them.
“It is not a very unifying day. The voices for change are getting louder.”
Hobart’s longest serving alderman Marti Zucco, who did not support the move to change the date in 2017, will not back the ceremony change.
“I will support changing the date if and when the Federal Government says ‘this is going to be our new date’,” Mr Zucco said.
“It could be April Fool’s Day but this is a matter for the whole country, not local governments for their own political agendas.
“Many new citizens want to have it on Australia Day and we shouldn’t take that choice away from them..
“We are having a referendum on the Voice so let’s add five dates for Australia Day and allow the country to decide at the same time.”
Sandy Bay Regatta Association chair Peter Douglas said the citizenship ceremony was a “significant” part of the regatta’s land based activities.
“The citizenship ceremonies bring an element of vibrancy and multiculturalism to what is quintessentially Australian,” he said.
“It is important to us to be inclusive and having people of different ethnicities is of great value.”
The association will discuss the change after the council vote.
Originally published as Nala Mansell is calling for the Prime Minister to talk to nation about Australia Day date
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