Labor MP Daniel Mulino claims Australia Day in a ‘transition’

A Labor MP’s claim Australia Day is undergoing a ‘transition’ has come under fire from a National MP who said ‘the nation will transition the government to opposition if they transition Australia Day away from January 26’.

A federal Labor MP has claimed Australia Day is undergoing a ‘transition’, with the country’s national day having ‘become somewhat controversial in parts of our community.’

Daniel Mulino, MP for the Victorian seat of Fraser, believed Australia Day had been ‘evolving’ for 15 years and it ‘evokes very different feelings in different parts’ of his electorate.

Mr Mulino was responding to a claim from Peter Dutton that people should consider boycotting pubs and hotels if they had decided not to celebrate January 26.

The Opposition Leader said on Wednesday: ‘if you’ve got a Christmas booking . . or an Australia Day booking with your friends and family that’s at a pub that’s not celebrating Australia Day, cancel it. Go to another pub that’s celebrating Australia Day.’

Daniel Mulino MP told Sky News Australia Day was in an ‘interesting transition.’ Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

When asked for his response, Mr Mulino told ‘Sharri’ on Sky News:

‘I’ve been elected at all three levels of government. I was a councillor about 15 years ago in outer suburban Melbourne. Even back then, Australia Day was evolving. Even back then Australia Day took much more of a theme of celebrating volunteerism as a way of bringing the community together.

‘Since that time, Australia Day has evolved further. It’s fair to say that it has become somewhat controversial in parts of our community.

‘I think we’re in an interesting transition at the moment with Australia Day.

Hinkler MP Keith Pitt said ‘if the Labor Government wants to transition Australia Day, let’s go to the election tomorrow.’

‘I think as a country we are going through a process where different parts of our community are wanting to treat Australia Day differently. I don’t know what the end point is going to be... there is no single rule here.’

In response to the use of the word ‘transition’, Nationals MP Keith Pitt said: ‘Wow. If the Labor Government wants to transition Australia Day, let’s go to the election tomorrow.

“Australian people will transition this ... government to opposition” if they transition Australia Day away from January 26.

‘The overwhelming majority of Australians… they are not up for transitioning. They want Australia Day where it is. They are proud of our country, they are proud of our flag, they just want to be left alone to celebrate what is the greatest country in the world.’ Mr Pitt said.

“You have a federal Labor government whose interests are in the minority ... it’s always about these woke issues ... all these ridiculous propositions and that’s why they are doing so badly in the polls.“

“The idea that you would transition Australia Day is mad,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Thursday.

Earlier this week Labor Minister Murray Watt refused to condemn venues who had decided not to celebrate Australia’s national day, telling Channel 7 ‘it’s a decision for each business to decide what they want to do. I’ll leave it to those businesses to make their decisions.’

More to come.