‘Changing the date of Australia Day won’t help Indigenous people’

Australia Day is seen as divisive but an academic has labelled people who say this one thing about it as “un-Australian” and “dumb”.

OPINION

Clearly people are divided in their opinions on Australia Day. Differing opinions are fine, so long as some respect is maintained. I like to think that as Aussies, we can do exactly that – disagree with one another respectfully and still be mates.

In this article I offer my thoughts on the Australia Day debate based on a decade of observing the differing viewpoints on the topic and contributing to the discussion myself.

With all due respect, I disagree with those who wish to change the date because they believe it will help Indigenous Australians. I will explain why shortly.

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People celebrating Australia Day in Brisbane in 2020. Picture: Darren England/AAP

My preference is to continue the current practice of a public holiday and celebrations on January 26, provided they are COVID safe. Further, people are free to call the day whatever they want, whether it be Australia Day or Survival Day or Invasion Day.

Opponents of Australia Day proffer several reasons as to why they believe it is inappropriate to celebrate it on 26 January, mostly on the grounds that this day is not inclusive of Indigenous people.

In point of fact, a date does not exclude people, but, in an age of identity politics with constant harping on past injustices, some Indigenous individuals can be easily convinced that they are being excluded from celebrating Australia Day.

The critics of Australia Day advance the view that any celebration amounts to disrespecting Indigenous Australians; some even go so far as to label it a celebration of genocide. However, I have not met one person celebrating genocide on Australia Day, and if I did, I would call them both dumb and un-Australian.

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Anthony Dillon doesn’t agree with the view that having Australia Day on January 26 is a celebration of genocide. Picture: James Ross/AAP

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Piling on the argument, Senator Lidia Thorpe asserts that for Indigenous Australians, “Australia Day commemorates nothing but the invasion of their territories.”

That is quite a sweeping statement. While non-Indigenous Aussies hold a considerable reservoir of goodwill for Indigenous Australians, being told they are celebrating genocide by a small but very vocal minority, may test the goodwill of some.

Fortunately however, I think the majority of non-Indigenous Aussies are like the majority of Indigenous Aussies – they just want to get along with each other. And they do get along with each other.

Invasion day sign seen on a street in the Sydney suburb of Erskineville on the morning of January 26, 2021. Picture: Victoria Nielsen/news.com.au

With talk of genocide and invasion, we are told that Indigenous people feel oppressed on Australia Day. We are told it is a day of mourning for them.

If individuals wish to mourn, I respect their right to do so. However, I know many Indigenous people who are in no way suffering or offended by Australia Day celebrations. On January 26 they don’t mourn, they celebrate, which suggests to me it is not the date that causes them to be upset; if it was the cause, then all Indigenous people would be upset or oppressed or in mourning.

However, being told often enough that one should be upset can be enough for some people to believe that they actually are.

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A Kari singer perform during the official launch of the Australia Day 2021 program in Sydney. Picture: Gaye Gerard/NCA NewsWire

Academic Anthony Dillon is happy for Australia Day to stay on January 26.

To change the date, I believe, could strengthen Indigenous people’s belief that they are upset by a date. Their thinking goes something like this: “Well the government wouldn’t change the date if I wasn’t really somehow suffering because of it, so because they changed the date it proves that it really was upsetting and oppressing me.”

How is teaching people that their emotional wellbeing is under the control of a date helpful? It isn’t, it’s disempowering.

It’s true, the arrival of the British resulted in many lives lost. I am not suggesting that people forget the past, nor am I insisting that they must acknowledge it, as that is a matter for them to decide.

I am suggesting that people can reflect on the past without being ruled by it. As individuals, living interdependently with each other, we each have a choice: the past can either be used as a stumbling block in the present or as a stepping stone to a better future.

For me and many others, our reasons for celebrating Australia Day are like the reasons for celebrating Christmas. Originally, many people celebrated Christmas for religious or spiritual reasons. Some still do today, but many don’t. For them it’s a time for friends and family. And so it is with Australia Day.

Regardless of the original significance of the date, whether it be the arrival of the British or the date the Australian Citizenship Act was enacted, for many Australians today, celebrating Australia Day is just a recognition of what a great country we live in.

So, whatever you do this Tuesday, remember, it’s your day and it’s your Australia. Actually, it’s our Australia. So let’s enjoy it together. Reflect, respect, and rejoice.

Anthony Dillon is an academic and commentator on Indigenous affairs. He identifies with both his Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal ancestry | @Anthonywodillon