Opposition to Australia Day has been clear, so why are we still debating it?

First Nations newsChat panellist Nich Topher asks how can there be reconciliation if Australians won’t even change the date of Australia Day.

Once again, we find ourselves on January 26 amid a huge debate on the validity of the day. So why are we still talking about Australia Day?

Changing the date “is literally the first thing that we want to feel comfortable,” says First Nations newsChat panellist Nich Topher (watch the video in the player above).

“If you can’t meet us at this point, how can you meet us anywhere else? How can there be reconciliation, or anything, if you won’t meet us here?”

A lot has changed in the last couple of decades, and the priorities of one generation to the next has changed too.

Gen Z have a lot to deal with — from trying to save the planet, to fighting for equality, to managing their money in an increasingly more expensive world — so how do they feel about it?

We know there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer, so — as part of a news.com.au project with the Judith Nielson Institute, which supports and celebrates quality journalism and storytelling around the world — we’ve asked Aussie Gen Zers from all walks of life to join our newsChat panel and share their experiences of, and opinions on the modern world.

newsChat panellist Nich Topher.

Australia, it is time to change the date.

More than any generation, Gen Z is known for its active push for an equal society, not just for their own rights, but for those around them. So how do they feel about Australia Day on January 26 — one of this country’s most controversial dates?

As Nich points out, changing the date is one of the smallest steps our country can make towards fair treatment of our Indigenous peoples — so why are so many still opposed?

Watch the video in the player above to see what three of our amazing Gen Zers had to say.

newsChat is a news.com.au project supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas. Meet the panellists here, and if you’d like to join newsChat email [e-mail]

Originally published as Opposition to Australia Day has been clear, so why are we still debating it?