We need to fix the present, not dwell on sins of the past

THE atrocities are well documented and undeniable, but does anyone seriously believe that on January 26, this is what Australians will.

On Tuesday, Anthony Dillon is going to celebrate with many other Australians that we are a lucky country and briefly reflect on what one set of his ancestors did to another set of his ancestors at the time of the invasion.

ON January 26, most Aussies look forward to catching up with friends and family for food, fun and laughter.

However, some Aboriginal people, and a number of other Australians, do not see this date as a day of celebration; in fact they claim to be upset by it. They prefer to call January 26 Survival Day or Invasion Day.

If we are to have a day of celebration called Australia Day, some believe a different date should be chosen as this may ease the assumed “suffering”.

It is alleged that calling January 26 Australia Day is insulting and offensive to Aboriginal people because of the atrocities that took place after the British arrived in this country to claim it as their own. These atrocities are well documented and undeniable, but does anyone seriously believe that on January 26, this is what Australians will
be celebrating?

Celebrating January 26 is like celebrating December 25. Though at one time Christmas Day had religious significance, for many today there is no religious significance; it is just a day of celebration for other reasons, mainly a time for families coming together.

So it is with January 26. It is a holiday where we can get together for fun and laughter and acknowledge Australia is a great country to live in.

While I respect the right of Aboriginal people to mourn and even claim that celebrating Australia Day is causing them insult and suffering, I question the motives and sincerity of those claiming to be upset because of injustices committed in the past by non-Aboriginal against Aboriginal people. Why are they not equally upset by the injustices committed by Aboriginal people against other Aboriginal people today?

Dr Anthony Dillon.

Why aren’t those who oppose Australia Day celebrations upset about the present day atrocity of high rates of violence in Aboriginal communities? No amount of mourning about the past will fix the problems facing Aboriginal people today.

For those protesting, I encourage you to visit an Aboriginal community where the people are poor, sick, and victims of violence, and ask yourself, “Will changing the name of Australia Day or changing the date for its celebration help the people in this community?”

I recently passed through a remote community and struck up a conversation with one of the locals.

“What is it like living here?” I asked. His immediate response was: “Too much violence.”

I doubt very much if this man will be experiencing “suffering” on January 26 because many Aussies celebrate it as Australia Day. His priority will be the safety of his family.

On Tuesday I am going to celebrate with many other Australians that we are a lucky country and briefly reflect on what one set of my ancestors did to another set of my ancestors at the time of the invasion. I believe we as a nation can work together to address the problems facing Aboriginal communities today, and at the same time still see January 26 as a day to celebrate the great nation in which we live. But to solve the problems, we must not let ourselves be distracted by the nonsense that calling it Australia Day is in some way hurting Aborigines today.

We are all Australians and we can live happily alongside one another and with one another, something many of us are already doing.

Dr Anthony Dillon is a researcher at the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at the Australian Catholic University and is part-Aboriginal Australian