Mark Latham launches New Australia Day date campaign
MARK Latham has launched a national ad campaign, pushing for Australia Day to stay on January 26, saying there ‘was no invasion’ in 1788. VOTE, HAVE YOUR SAY
National
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FORMER Labor leader Mark Latham has launched a national ad campaign, pushing for Australia Day to stay on January 26.
Mr Latham told Sydney radio station 2GB today that there “was no invasion” in 1788 and argued “a large number” of Aboriginal people celebrate Australia Day each year.
“There was no organised military resistance or organised military conflict in terms of a war ... There was no invasion,” he said.
“There were some terrible things that were done to indigenous people in the early 19th and 20th centuries. But you can talk about the past as much as you like.”
Mr Latham said changing the date would not change some of the ongoing issues that disadvantaged indigenous Australians face each day.
Mr Latham has now joined forces with Alice Springs indigenous Councillor Jacinta Price to launch a TV, radio and social media advertising campaign.
“All the elites in Australia want to abolish Australia Day on January 26th,” he said to his Facebook followers today.
Next to the video he wrote: “Help Save Australia Day! Mark Latham’s Outsiders has been gearing up to Save Australia Day. Three weeks out from our great national day, the Left-wing attempt to “Change The Date” is getting stronger.
“It’s time to fight back with a public campaign to preserve Australia Day on 26 January.”
On the video he said: “Well here at Mark Latham’s Outsiders we’re putting the alternative case ... It would be a very, very sad and unfortunate thing if we lost our Australia Day.”
Mr Latham also showed followers “a snippet” of the new ad to air nationally on TV.
He claimed it showed what could happen if the “loony left got their way”.
The ad shows two actors, a young girl handing an Australia Day card to her mother.
The girl says she just made an Australia Day card, but her mother takes it from her and uts it in a paper shredder in their kitchen.
Ms Price appears and then says: “Australia Day is under serious threat. How sad is that? Save Australia Day. It will be a sad day if we lose it.”
Mr Latham is also asking for donations to help fund the campaign.
Mr Latham’s new push for January 26 comes after Victoria’s Yarra council decided to no longer refer to January 26 as Australia Day and hold an Indigenous-themed event instead of an annual citizenship ceremony on the day.
Another Melbourne council, The City of Darebin council, later dumped its Australia Day celebrations.
The council’s Australia Day citizenship ceremony will be scrapped, and its Australia Day awards will be renamed the “Darebin Community Awards” and will not be presented on January 26.
The council also voted to acknowledge that January 26 marked the beginning of “British invasion”.
His campaign also comes after Triple J moved its Hotttest 100 countdown to January 27.
The ABC said the Hottest 100 was moving due to ongoing debate surrounding Janury 26, and what it means to Australians.
“It’s fair to say there’s been increasing debate around 26 January and there are a lot of perspectives on what it means to different Australians. As the public broadcaster representing all Australians, triple j and the ABC doesn’t take a view in the discussions.
However, in recent years the Hottest 100 has become a symbol in the debate about Australia Day. The Hottest 100 wasn’t created as an Australia Day celebration. It was created to celebrate your favourite songs of the past year. It should be an event that everyone can enjoy together – for both the musicians whose songs make it in and for everyone listening in Australia and around the world. This is really important to us,” the ABC said in a statement last year.