Steven Miles reacts to cricket’s Australia Day stance
Steven Miles has commented following outrage over Cricket Australia’s plan to not mention Australia Day at the Gabba Test this week.
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Steven Miles refused to be drawn on the outrage enveloping Cricket Australia following the sporting body’s plan to not mention Australia Day at the Gabba Test this week.
The Premier insisted he doesn’t “have any particularly strong views” about the issue despite his NSW counterpart Chris Minns describing the decision as “extremely strange” while conservative politicians reacted furiously to the move.
Cricket Australia will not be making direct references to the national holiday on Friday at the match between Australia and the West Indies while a Welcome to Country ceremony will be conducted on Thursday for the opening day, which is customary.
“I haven’t given that much thought,” Mr Miles said, when asked about the issue.
“I am disappointed, though — I bought my tickets to go on Thursday with my kids about eight months ago before I had this job and now it looks like I’ll be more focused on the cyclone somewhere near Townsville.
“I suppose the Boxing Day Test starts on Boxing Day whereas this Test will start the day before Australia Day, that might be their explanation but you’d really have to talk to Cricket Australia.”
When pressed further about the sporting body’s perceived rejection of the national holiday, Mr Miles said: “I think Australia Day is well acknowledged in our community.
“My intention was to spend Australia Day in Townsville at the flag raising ceremony at the barracks and then having a game of backyard cricket with some Townsville locals (but) I’m not sure that’ll be able to go ahead given the weather.”
Amid the debate, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged Australians to “stop looking for areas in which we can be outraged” which Mr Miles appeared to support by warning political colleagues to refrain from fuelling spiteful reactions in the community.
“I was concerned to see those flare attacks at Woolworths a couple of weeks ago and so I just really urge politicians to watch their language because it really can lead to violence and people could get hurt and I don’t want to see that,” the Queensland Premier said.
The issue has also sparked renewed discussions about moving the date of the national holiday to avoid offending the First Nations community, which former Indigenous test star Jason Gillespie threw his support behind.
“There is surely another day in the calendar that we can celebrate Australia Day,’’ Gillespie said.
“I find it frustrating when people say it’s always been January 26 when history clearly shows it simply has not.
“We’ve had a number of different days as Australia Day over the journey.’’
The first official Australia Day was held on July 30, 1915, when functions were held Australia-wide to raise funds for the World War I effort.
January 26 has only been a nationwide Australia Day public holiday since 1994.
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