Tony Abbott says January 26 marks a ‘good thing’ for Aboriginal people

TONY Abbott has stepped up his defence of Australia Day, arguing the event it commemorates was good for indigenous Australians.

TONY Abbott has argued the events of January 26, 1788, were a “good thing” for Aboriginal people.

The former prime minister defended his view that the controversial date — which marked the beginning of British settlement and kicked off a massacre of indigenous people — was the best date to mark Australia’s national day in a radio interview on Monday morning.

“What happened on the 26th of January, 1788, was on balance, for everyone, Aboriginal people included, a good thing,” Mr Abbott told 2GB host Ray Hadley.

“It brought Western civilisation to this country. It brought Australia into the modern world.”

While a campaign is under way to have Australia Day shifted from the anniversary of the First Fleet’s arrival, which many Aboriginal people have come to refer to as “Invasion Day”, Mr Abbott has become a vocal supporter of keeping things as they are.

“It’s very rarely a one-way street, so to speak, but if you look at the Australian achievement over the last couple of centuries, it is overwhelmingly a positive story, and increasingly it’s a positive story for indigenous Australians as well,” he said.

Tony Abbott believes Australia Day should be celebrated on January 26, by everyone. Picture: Adam Yip/The Australian

Mr Abbott’s comments followed his robust defence of Australia Day published in The Australian on Monday in which the Liberal backbencher argued the benefits of British settlement to all Australians.

“It’s hard to imagine a better Australia in the absence of the Western civilisation that began here from that date,” he wrote. “The rule of law, equality of the sexes, scientific curiosity, technological progress, responsible government — plus the constant self-criticism and lust for improvement that makes us so self-conscious of our collective failings towards Aboriginal people — all date from then; and may not have been present to anything like the same extent had the settlers fanning out from Sydney Cove been other than British.”

Mr Abbott suggested all Australians “grow up and treat Australia Day as a good time to reflect on how far we’ve come as country and, for those in public life, how far we’ve yet to go”.

“There are 364 other days of the year when we can wear a black armband and strive to overcome our national failures,” he wrote.

The change the date movement is spreading. Picture: Matt Thompson

Mr Abbott has become a leading voice against the push to change the date of Australia Day as support for it increases.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale earlier this month launched the party’s campaign to change the date and Greens councillors across the country have begun local campaigns.

After reading Mr Abbott’s defence of the date on Monday, Senator Di Natale suggested another occasion was worthy of national celebration.

“If we want a national holiday to unite the country, let’s celebrate the day he retires,” he tweeted.

A survey by The Australia Institute last week revealed that only 38 per cent of people knew what January 26 commemorated, and 58 per cent said they didn’t mind when Australia Day was held.

Neither Labor nor the government endorse a date change.