Outrage as pubs fail Australia Day test

LETTERS: A pub group’s ban on Australia Day celebrations only serves to build resentment.

Some pubs won’t be celebrating Australia Day. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Sometimes I wonder if the various organisations which seem determined to ban Australia Day are actually trying to turn the average Aussie against Indigenous Australian causes.

Because it is precisely this claptrap of not being allowed to celebrate the day that builds resentment.

According to the Australian Venue Co, the decision to ban festivities at its 200 venues is because it is “a day that causes sadness for some members of our community” (C-M, 2/12).

Christmas Day is also a day that causes sadness for many.

It is the first anniversary of the death of a loved one, it is a day when not having family is magnified, it is a day when excess consumption of alcohol drives up family violence ... the list is endless.

But we don’t demand the day is banned.

As your Editorial exhorted, “Don’t be ashamed of our national day”.

Get out there and throw a prawn on the barbie.

Carol da Costa-Roque, Wishart

Loyal Australians should follow Indigenous leader Warren Mundine’s suggestion that they boycott the 200 hotels around Australia associated with the Australian Venue Co for its decision not to celebrate Australia Day.

When will corporate Australia get it that wokeness appals most Australians and ultimately will only adversely affect their own businesses?

Michael Fishpool, Carindale

Perhaps, considering the ban on Australia Day festivities at its outlets, the Australian Venue Co should be required to change its name.

The company considers some punters feel sadness on the day.

Being hotels, I bet there are any number of “sad” folk in attendance most days of the week.

What about all those who feel happiness, pride and gratitude for living in such a great country and who celebrate Australia Day as such?

This portion of the community is obviously not on this company’s radar.

Good on Warren Mundine for calling out the company’s behaviour.

It has gone woke, it may also go broke as the “UnAustralian Venue Company”.

Hopefully many will boycott their venues.

Claire Jolliffe, Buderim

Since the Australian Venue Co has decided to cancel Australia Day celebrations in its pubs and other venues, it doesn’t deserve the patronage of loyal Australians on any of the other 364 days of the year.

Australia Day is an important day that should be celebrated by all who live here.

A drop in the company’s profits should give it a wake up call.

Since Woolworth’s decision to ignore Australia Day 2024, I estimate that my expenditure at that retail brand is now 70 per cent less than in the previous year.

There are plenty of other pubs and retail outlets where true blue Australians can show their pride during the remainder of this year and 2025.

Phil Greenhill, Bellbird Park

In response to the Australian Venue Co deciding that there would be no Australia Day celebrations at its hotels, there is an alternative.

Stay away from these hotels and visit your local sports club, bowls clubs or surf club and see what is being offered.

You will be surprised and the clubs will get great benefit from extra patronisation with somewhat cheaper prices.

Steer clear of the Australian Venue Co hotels and see what they think of no one visiting on such an important public holiday.

Peter Johnson, Robina

We can easily retaliate against this woke nonsense by celebrating at home with cheaper food and alcohol.

We might as well rule out going to pubs at all.

I wonder how the shareholders will react to that.

Barbara O’Connor, Coorparoo

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PATH TO DIVISION

I refer to the story “LNP tears up Path to Treaty” (C-M, 29/11).

The Path to Treaty was never going to achieve reconciliation.

It was structured to hear only one side of a complex issue that existed about 200 years ago.

It focused on the adverse impacts of colonisation and was unlikely to uncover why many of the incidents occurred or to detail the benefits that came from colonisation by the British.

By all means, record the historical facts, but do so in the political and cultural context in which they occurred.

With the passage of time attitudes have changed and so have the laws.

Last century saw significant anti-discrimination laws passed and Australian taxpayers have subsequently contributed tens of billions of dollars to Indigenous programs.

These changes were likely to be ignored as the truth-telling inquiry was focused on establishing victimhood and promoting division.

Ian Wilson, Chapel Hill

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FUTURE IN RENEWABLES

As we approach the next federal election, former Coalition minister Alexander Downer wants to continue using coal and natural gas rather than an energy future based on renewables (C-M, 2/12).

The problem is financial institutions are run by people who know wind/solar renewables are now the cheapest form of electricity, and accept the science that continuing carbon emissions will cause global warming to get worse over coming decades.

This puts fossil fuels at risk of becoming stranded assets, and banks no longer want to lend to build new coal-fired plants.

Meanwhile, prices are increasing because our ageing coal-fired plants are becoming more expensive to maintain and repair, and natural gas generators are a costly transitional energy source to firm electricity supply while sufficient storage facilities such as batteries, pumped hydro and green hydrogen are built.

The Opposition’s more risky and expensive policy would delay the rollout of renewables while it contemplates and builds some costly nuclear plants.

Australia’s small population and large land mass is ideally positioned for a cheaper, renewable future.

We must stay the course.

Donald Maclean, Fig Tree Pocket

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SOCIAL MEDIA BAN QUESTIONED

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is blowing his trumpet about his social media ban on kids under the age of 16 (C-M, 30/11).

In theory it sounds good and a lot of people welcome it.

But like all his ideas it hasn’t been thought through properly.

How many social media platforms will be impacted?

How does he plan to levy his $50m penalty on those that break the ban?

How does he intend policing the ban?

Kids are far more internet wise than the whole Senate put together.

The ban is likely to drive teenagers onto baser internet platforms with higher risk.

This new policy looks like another political ploy to win over the gullible voters and the end result is likely to be another failed plan that proved too hard to implement.

Keith Whiteside, Sippy Downs

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YOUTH BAIL NOT A RIGHT

The Crisafulli government’s proposed adult crime, adult time legislation before parliament

(C-M, 28/11) will be a toothless tiger unless these young criminals are held to bail conditions.

Bail is a privilege, not a right.

It is time those before the courts are made aware that next time they face a court having breached their bail conditions, they are remanded until such time their case is heard.

The perpetual revolving bail door is a pathetic joke and the deaths that have occurred while these young crims are on bail is blood on the hands of the former government and the judiciary.

Make the change now to save us the victims.

Barry Abberton, Yatala

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