Australia Day holiday 2018: Labor MP calls for day to be moved to last Monday in January

A LABOR MP has called for Australia Day to be moved to the last Monday in January, describing it as a “common sense” idea.

LABOR MP Geoff Howard broke ranks to call for Australia Day to be moved to the last Monday in January, describing it as a “common sense” idea that he hoped the nation’s political leaders could accept.

The veteran Buninyong MP, who is retiring at this year’s state election, said he remembered opposing Australia Day moving to January 26 when he was a local councillor because he “didn’t think that date was an appropriate date to bring all Australians together to celebrate”.

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Labor MP Geoff Howard has called for Australia Day to be moved to the last Monday in January.

He hit out at the federal government for making it a “divisive issue” and accusing people of being “un-Australian if you don’t support January 26”.

“On January 26, 1788, it wasn’t called Australia Day ... It was simply a day the British landed their first fleet in Australia,” Mr Howard told the ABC.

“This is simply a matter of recognising that if we are all to come together as Australians ... picking a date that everyone can celebrate together, when it’s good summer weather, when you can enjoy a barbecue, is a good Australian thing to do.”

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