TV presenter Jessica Rowe says children ‘don’t want to celebrate’ Australia Day

Jessica Rowe has declared Australia Day is not a day of celebration and that many children don’t want to take part.

Jessica Rowe with her husband, Nine newsreader Peter Overton. Picture: John Appleyard

High-profile journalist Jessica Rowe has claimed children do not want to take part in January 26 celebrations, and has backed the campaign to change the date of Australia Day.

Appearing on Network Ten’s Studio 10 program as a guest on Thursday morning, Rowe – who used to co-host the show – declared she was “sorry” for the nation’s history, said Australia Day should not be marked on its current date, and claimed children “don’t want” to celebrate the public holiday.

“I’m so sorry for what’s happened, I think we need to say sorry to move on,” she said on the show’s panel hosted by Narelda Jacobs and Tristan MacManus.

“Today is not a date to celebrate at all and we need to change that date, well and truly the time has come.”

Rowe, who is married to Nine’s Sydney newsreader Peter Overton, revealed that her two teenage daughters did not want to celebrate Australia Day.

“Let’s find a date that really celebrates who we are as a nation … this is what I’m hopeful about, (and) my daughters are very passionate about it,” she said.

“I think kids of that age, they know far more and they don’t celebrate today, they don’t want to celebrate today.”

On Studio 10, Jessica Rowe said Australia Day “is not a date to celebrate”. Picture: Twitter.

Rowe’s comments come after The Australian revealed last month that Ten’s chief content officer Beverley McGarvey offered her views on Australia Day in an internal email sent to staff in which she said it was “not a day of celebration”.

Ms McGarvey went on to say that Paramount ANZ refers to January 26 as just that, January 26.

“For our First Nations people, we as an organisation acknowledge that January 26 is not a day of celebration,” she said in the email.

“We recognise that there has been a turbulent history, particularly around that date and the recognition of that date being Australia Day.”

On Thursday Rowe asked the show’s co-host Narelda Jacobs, a Whadjuk Noongar woman, how she felt about Australia Day.

“A lot of people associate patriotism with January 26 because it is the day that we are told that we need to celebrate who we are as a country,” Jacobs said.

“It’s just the date, we’re not saying don’t be a proud Australian and don’t be patriotic but just don’t do it today because there’s so much pain that comes with it.

“This date isn’t the date to be celebrated because that’s when the trauma began.”

Fellow Studio 10 panellist Denise Drysdale said she was also in favour of changing the date, and that process should involve consulting First Nations Australians.

“Being older, for years I just thought it (Australia Day) was a great day when white Australians arrived but as you get older you learn, you realise it’s wrong to celebrate what happened,” the 74-year-old said.

“We need to ask the original Aussies what they want.”