Karl Stefanovic defends Australia Day post after supporting ‘change the date’

Karl Stefanovic threw his weight behind the ‘change the date’ campaign in 2017 … but five years later he was out and about celebrating Australia Day.

Today show host Karl Stefanovic has appeared to backflip on his Australia Day stance, after previously calling for an end to January 26 celebrations.

On Thursday morning, the Channel 9 presenter told his co-host Allison Langdon that he had a “terrific” time celebrating Australia Day with his family in the Sutherland Shire despite once sharing an impassioned plea on the Today Show to move the public holiday to a different date out of respect for First Nation’s people.

“You looked like you had a pretty good time yesterday,” Langdon said.

Stefanovic replied, “I had a pretty good time actually … It was terrific. Had a bit of time on the little pontoon boat, dingy all tied up down at the shire near Sydney, and we had a great afternoon. Mum drove home which was fantastic. Took eight hours. Normally a half an hour drive.”

WATCH THE 2017 VIDEO IN THE PLAYER ABOVE

Stefanovic’s Australia Day Instagram post on Wednesday.

Stefanovic, 47, shared a photo of his family festivities on Instagram, which showed him gleefully clutching a beer and posing with his wife Jasmine and their one-year daughter Harper with the caption: “Australia Day in heaven in the Shire. Love this country [heart emoji].”

Stefanovic told Confidential that he still supports changing the date.

“I can support it but at the end of the day I also live in this wonderful country and I’m going to celebrate what Australia is to me,” he said.

“I think that hopefully down the track we can come to a place where everyone is able to commemorate and celebrate together. At the moment we don’t have that and I think that’s the ideal, that doesn’t mean that people can’t celebrate Australia Day.

“I think Australia is a great country, now of course the date has sensitivities around it and for Indigenous people that’s awful. Hopefully we can get to a point where we can all come together. In the meantime, I’m still going to celebrate Australia Day because it is a great country.”

Stefanovic in 2017 during the monologue.

The TV host said he acknowledges that January 26 holds painful memories for Indigenous Australians.

“Now if we can move or make it easier to commemorate and to come together then I’m all for it but at the same time, I love this country and I want to celebrate this country and I want us all to come together,’ he said.

“I’m by no means going against what I said years ago but at the same time I’m not going to stop celebrating Australia Day. No one loves Australia more than I do and I work with Brooke Boney and I understand completely, well as much as I can as a white guy, the sensitivities around Australia Day.

“So sure if we can then let’s do it. At the end of the day the most important thing I want out of all of this is for Indigenous people to feel comfortable and OK with celebrating it as well, once it’s acknowledged for them the sensitivities around it, I hope and pray that we can all come together and have a peaceful day because I think Australia is that – it’s time. So however we can do it, let do it.”

His cheerful Australia Day outing was a complete contrast to 2017, when he spoke about the importance of changing the date.

At the time Stefanovic said he had “changed his mind” about celebrating on January 26 after speaking with “several people” from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

“Having spoken to several people from those communities, I empathise as hard as some want to ignore it,” he said.

“January 26 marks a day this land changed forever for one of the oldest and most beautiful cultures in the world. To this day, mortality rates for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders are alarming. It wasn’t until March 1962 that the Menzies government finally gave the right to vote for all Aboriginal people.”

He said January 1 was a good option to “combine New Year’s with another party”.

“If we are to truly follow through with the apology and move forward together hand-in-hand, arm in arm, then I believe it must change,” he said.

“Let’s do it together. Certainly, let’s debate it together. On a lighter note, the 26th is a rubbish day for a party anyway. Whoever had a party on the 26th of anything?”