Alternative dates for Australia Day celebrations that have been proposed

MANY Australians are calling for change to the day we celebrate Australia Day. These are some of the options we have. VOTE, HAVE YOUR SAY

ON January 26, 1788, the First Fleet landed at Port Jackson in New South Wales. While this is a significant date in our history, it’s a dark day for our indigenous people, as they not only lost their land to the British settlers, but many also lost their lives.

It is for this reason that many refer to January 26 as “Invasion Day” and people are calling for the date to be changed.

With 56 per cent of Australians saying they don’t care when Australia Day is, and 37 per cent acknowledging the date is offensive to the Aboriginal community under a recent Research Now survey of more than 1400 people, the push to change the date is growing.

High-profile celebrities including tennis champion and former Australian of the Year Pat Rafter and 2018 Australian of the Year finalist Johnathan Thurston have also called for a date change or said the date will inevitably be moved.

But when should Australia Day be? Here are some possible, less divisive, alternatives.

January 1

Sure, it’s New Year’s Day, but it’s also the day Australia became an independent nation way back in 1901. The Federation of Australia was formed when the six Australian colonies (New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia) united to become the Commonwealth of Australia.

According to historian Dr Aron Paul, while this date is a valid option, there a couple problems. Firstly, it’s already a public holiday, and secondly indigenous Australians were initially excluded from the Federation. “The Commonwealth is still not perfect, but on that New Year’s Day, Australians joined their destinies together,” he told the ABC.

Australia Day could be moved to another date. Picture: Sarah Matray

January 28

It’s a little arbitrary, but was the day the City of Fremantle council in Western Australia decided to move its Australia Day celebrations to last year. Dubbed “One Day”, the “culturally inclusive” celebration is now an annual event and includes a concert featuring Aussie performers, such as Kate Miller-Heidke, John Butler and Dan Sultan. The controversial move was criticised by the Federal government and local businesses, among others.

March 12

Already a public holiday in ACT, “Canberra Day” is the date Australia’s capital city was official named in 1913. It is celebrated across the territory on the second Monday of March each year. There are few public holidays around this date, so it would provide a much-needed break for hardworking Aussies, but given it’s an ACT-centric date, it’s possible other states may be reluctant to get on board.

May 8

It seems random, but to many Aussies this date makes sense. Put the two words together (May-eight), and it sounds like “Mate”. What could be more Australian than this?!

Biophysicist Dr Farquhar, 2018 Senior Australian of the Year, agrees that this date is a winner. He told Sky News: “If I were asked what the ideal day would be, I guess I would take the quote from The Drum, which is ‘May eighth, mate!’”

The only problem with this date, others argue, is it’s not in summer.

Many argue Australia Day should be moved in respect to the indigenous community. Picture: Darren leigh Roberts

May 9

There are a few significant political reasons why this day is important to Australia’s history. This particular date marks the first sitting of Australia’s parliament in Melbourne in 1901, the opening of Parliament House in Canberra in 1927, and the opening of the current Parliament House in 1988.

Once, again, however this date falls during autumn rather than summer, and may also clash with another significant event in May — Mother’s Day.

September 1

The Golden Wattle was officially declared Australia’s national floral emblem in 1988, and a few years later September 1 was nominated National Wattle Day — another, lesser-known day that celebrates Australia.

Terry Fewtrell, president of the Wattle Day Association, believes some of the anger and disharmony surrounding Australia Day can be diffused by celebrating our country on National Wattle Day.

Wattle Day could be another option. Picture: Supplied

“National Wattle Day is another day we already have of celebrating Australia, so let’s be creative about things,” he suggests. “Wattle has been in the landscape of Australia for 40 million years, it’s welcomed us all: Aboriginal, colonial and people since then and has no baggage.”

“There’s a sense in the community that we should be doing something better here, but how do we get to it? That’s what we’re suggesting,” he told News Corp. Tammy Solonec, an Aboriginal woman from Western Australia, is a strong supporter of Wattle Day being a more suitable day to celebrate the nation.

December 1

It’s no secret that Aussies love summer — the beach, barbecues, a cold beer. So why not kick off our favourite season with a celebration of our nation? The only argument against this one might be that it’s too close to Christmas — a time of year when our calendars are already jam-packed.