Voices of Victoria: Should the date of Australia Day be changed?
Some proudly celebrate but others see it as a day of mourning. Victorians have had their say on the future of Australia Day.
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A snap poll shows Victorians are divided on whether the date of Australia Day should be changed.
Leader News reporters hit the streets to ask Victorians if Australia Day should continue to be celebrated on January 26.
It comes as at least six councils refuse to participate in Australia Day celebrations.
Read what Victorians think about the controversial date.
Margaret Helen, Mornington
“I love Australia. I moved here from the UK in 1998 to join the rest of my family. January 26 is one of my favourite days. I love celebrating my new country. It means a lot to me. I’ve even become an official Aussie by getting my citizenship.”
Bruce and Deb Kitchen, Mornington
Bruce: “I definitely don’t think we should change the date. Where will it end if we start doing things like that? I understand the arguments from the First Nations people, but don’t see how changing our tradition or discouraging people from celebrating the nation on January 26 will help. Perhaps we could have a day set aside to honour the First Nations people and their culture instead?”
Deb: I don’t believe we should switch the date either. It’s our tradition and as a young country we don’t have too many of those!”
Charlotte Jones, 17, Safety Beach
“I’d like to see the date changed. I don’t agree with celebrating on the day that causes so much pain to indigenous people. It doesn’t feel fair.
Craig Heath, Ringwood
“Definitely not, it’s the traditional day and its accepted.
“Unless you can find a day where it doesn’t conflict with anything else, leave it as it is.”
Nadia Tanner, Boronia
“I can understand both side of the coin, being ‘Invasion Day’ but also our national day.
“I’d be happy to leave it at the 26th of January unless there’s a big groundswell of support to change.”
Andrew Powell, Bayswater
“It’s very contentious. Every country has been invaded, but in the modern era they make a big deal of it.
“I think we should get a consensus everyone agrees on. I support a change of date, it (Australia) is not just for the white dudes who came here and left their trash here, and we should be learning from the First Nations people.
“But having said that, we are all the same with our DNA.”
Adam Parrott, Ballarat
“No. If that’s the date that is so sacrilege to First Nations people, then perhaps that should have an indigenous theme to it, and Australia Day would celebrate the unification of all the cultures in Australia.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily about the founding of Australia because the founding of Australia was an invasion day to First Nations.
“I think maybe we could celebrate … it could potentially be in Reconciliation Week or something like that, but I’m not sure the two go hand-in-hand.”
Charlie Sam, Ballarat
“I don’t think we should celebrate colonisation.
“It’s not really up to me to decide how you mourn a day because I’m not indigenous.”
Warren Taylor, Ballarat
“Yeah. I think it’s down to individual choice.
“It depends on what your beliefs are. Mine are probably more traditional; I’m probably showing my age.
“We do live in a society now where there is a lot of change, and I respect people for those beliefs.”
Arthur Hannah, Ballarat
“Very difficult. I’m not a great one for change nowadays, but I can see the opposition to it.
“I thought what we used to do a few years ago was quite good, but we’ve got to make an allowance for indigenous people and have a set up for them.”
Helen Taylor, Ballarat
“I think we should celebrate it – personally as well for me because I became a citizen that day.
“I think it’s just getting a bit out of hand, to be honest.
“I feel we all need to come together and celebrate the great country that Australia is.”
Adam Haywood, Ballarat
“I think if it causes people ill feelings, we can just do a different day. It’s just a day.
“As long as there’s a day where you can celebrate Australia as a country, get everyone in it, then I’m cool with moving the day because that day’s a pretty shitty day in our history and there’s no reason to celebrate it.”
John Visentin, Langwarrin
“It’s been the same for a lot of years now, so I don’t think it should change.”
George Kelzi, Doncaster
“If it’s something the pleases the majority and will better suit everyone, then yes I think the date should be changed.”
Hohi Ikeda, Bendigo
“I think we should have a day of reflection on January 26. It shouldn’t be forgotten, it’s an important day in Australia’s history. But perhaps it shouldn’t be a national day of celebration. We don’t have a Japanese Day or a British Day. Do we really need one?” – Hohi Ikeda.
Amy Kent, Bendigo
“I think it should be moved to another day. I think we should have a national celebration day just not on the 26th. And I think that whatever happens it should have first nations people’s voices at the heart of the decision.”
Jonathan Kemp, Bendigo
“We should change the date and have the celebration day at a different time of the year. And I think it should reflect more people. I don’t think a public holiday is the right way to mark January 26. It should be a day of contemplation.”
Jenny Love, Phillip Island
“Australia poses itself as an inclusive country yet it continues to ignore and cast out the people that were here first, the oldest living culture in the world.”
“If it wants the label of inclusive it needs to start acting like it and changing the date would be a good start.”
Ashley Lucas, Wonthaggi
“The whole idea of celebrating the erasure of an entire race and culture is wrong, I think people are scared they will lose a day off of work but the issue is so much bigger than that,” she said.
“Honestly, every time this day comes around I can’t imagine being an indigenous person, it must be so emotionally draining to have to go through this every year. I say get rid of it all together.”
Nick Molan, Northcote
“No, I don’t think it should be, it’s just insensitive.”
“There’s no reason for it to be then, there’s plenty of other days it could be celebrated.”
“No, and my reason is that not all Australians can celebrate it, it shouldn’t be Australia Day.”
“It’s so contested and the reason it’s so contested is because indigenous Australians don’t see it as that.”
Josh Weaver, Pascoe Vale
“I went to a local pub that had changed the date to the 23rd to have kids’ activities running through the day – that didn't seem too hard for them,” Mr Weaver said.
“We change dates of holidays constantly to get public holiday days at work, or we have dates not on the same day as the event they‘re marking like the King’s birthday.
“I’m unsure why it’s such a problem to change a date marking the start of a massacre to one of the many suggested alternatives that make much more sense for our country’s history.”
Tim Turner, Camperdown
“We should celebrate Australia Day because I like to celebrate our country,” Mr Turner said.
“I also like to drink.”
Ashlaan Brookes, Camperdown
“Yes because even though it’s discrimination, it’s not like we haven’t included anyone in anything,” Ms Brookes said.
“If we’re not celebrating Australia Day then when are we going to celebrate it?”
“It’s a very controversial question, but it’s a day where everyone can drink and enjoy a day off,” she said.
Alan Williams, Lilydale
“I'm happy for it to stay on the 26th – there’s no reason to change all these things just because a very small minority are not happy.”
Kano Walpole-Cairns, Lilydale
“I don’t think we should (change the date). The reason is because I think the problems with focusing on something like changing the date can be major for changing what we have to do with items, stores etc. It’s a massive change and at the same time we need to be focusing on things that actually matter.”
Jo Oldland, Lilydale
“I think we should change the date. We have to come up with a day everyone can celebrate.”
Robert Hodge, Cranbourne West
“I might have a bit of an unpopular opinion on this one, especially for around here, but I actually don’t mind what day we celebrate Australia,” said Robert Hodge, from Cranbourne West.
“I understand the people who want to celebrate it on January 26, but I think we should respect what indigenous people are telling us.”
“If the date was changed I don’t think it would make that much of a difference for the people who are kicking up such a stink.”
Jamil Salameh, Glen Waverley
“I think it should remain on January 26,” Jamil said.
“It’s important to maintain at least some Australian historical tradition.
“In both scenarios, it’s still a day to embrace being an Aussie and spending some time with family — sharing a good old barbeque!”
Mishel Taylor, Patterson Lakes
“I think it should be left on January 26,” said Mishel Taylor from Patterson Lakes.
“Why shouldn’t we? It’s the day we’ve always celebrated it. People can choose to be upset because that’s up to them, but that’s just what I think.”
Stephanie, 35
“Yes, I would change the date Because I would prefer it to be a day that everyone can celebrate rather than just white Australians. I would like for it to be something that indigenous people would be able to enjoy just as much as everyone else”
Emily, 14
“I would change it to a date that makes everyone happy so, and that’s respectful to everyone.”
Doreen Beaumont, 64
“Yes, and I think it should be left to the Aboriginal community and not the government because the community is the one who has lived here in Australia in the beginning, and I believe what they have to say is very important.”
John Floyd, 65
“I think we should change the date because it might stop the controversy. I just think its so controversial and it’s a no-brainer to make it a week later or earlier. They should just do it and make all the controversy stop. And we can all get on and enjoy Australia Day for what it should be.”
Richard Laughton, 72.
“I would change it because I think it’s really disrespectful to the original people of the land. It was a catastrophe for them”
Tandy
“I think it’s fine the way it is because it’s been like them since the history for a long time. This is a lovely country, must stay the way it is.”
Nikhil Reddy, 18
“I think you got to respect the indigenous, and they’ve been through a lot, especially since the colonisers came here, and I think it’s a bit disrespectful to them”.
Yohan Omani, 18
“it’s important to remember today. And so you know, recognise what happened, but the actual date to celebrate a holiday should be changed Because I don’t think it’s fair to celebrate a day where you know, such hardship for many, many people of our country. And I think it needs to be remembered, but the day of celebration should be sometime different.”
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