Move the date for respect

'She said it wasn't up to us white people to make a decision like that'

The debate continues around the date of Australia Day. Picture: Flickr

I CAN remember having a conversation with my university friend once about changing the date of Australia Day. I, as usual, played devil's advocate, asking what would it really change?

She said it wasn't up to us white people to make a decision like that, it is offensive to our First Nation people and that should be the end of the debate.

She was right. She was usually right about things like this.

Australia Day has not always fallen on January 26, and it doesn't have to keep falling on January 26.

Consider this: what if Australia Day was on January 29 this year? We would still get a long weekend, we would still get a public holiday. Even if Australia Day was on January 28, we'd still get the extra day come Monday. Most importantly, we would still celebrate our great nation.

If you can provide a better reason than "it's always been on that day" for why it should be on January 26, then maybe you deserve a seat at the table for the debate.

We are a multicultural nation who should celebrate all the cultures we have, on a culturally appropriate day.

Every year on Anzac Day, we pay our respects to the fallen soldiers, so why can't we move the date out of respect to the Aboriginal people who had their lives turned upside down when some white bloke (Governor Arthur Phillip) stuck a flag in the ground and claimed it for the Crown.

Originally published as Move the date for respect