Scott Morrison says Indigenous Australians are thriving as he defends Australia Day

Scott Morrison says Indigenous Australians’ history of ‘overcoming is one of, if not the, greatest Australian story’, as he calls for unity amid a debate about celebrating January 26.

Scott Morrison in Canberra on Tuesday. Picture: Martin Ollman

Scott Morrison has declared that Indigenous Australians are thriving in modern Australia, as he called for unity amid a national debate about celebrating January 26.

After coming under criticism for likening the suffering of convicts on the First Fleet to that of­ ­Indigenous Australians, the Prime Minister said First Nations were now a “a thriving, surviving community”.

“I think their story of overcoming is one of, if not the, greatest Australian story,” he told 2GB radio on Tuesday.

Opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Linda Burney said that colonisation had a “profound” effect on the lives of Indigenous Australians.

Ms Burney said there remained “great disparities” in the quality of life between First Nations people and the broader community.

“That impact has transcended generations and can still be very much seen and felt today in the great disparities confronting First Nations people.” she told The Australian.

Bill Shorten, who caused Labor leadership ructions this week for urging Anthony Albanese against taking a “tiny” agenda to the election, broke ranks with the party line on Australia Day by declaring a change to the date was ­“inevitable”.

“Labor does not propose changing the date, though I have some sympathy with those who are unhappy with the current date. But I do believe — and demographics tell us — that a date change at some point is inevitable,” Mr Shorten wrote in the Herald Sun.

The Opposition Leader, who is not pushing to change the date, said Australians needed to acknowledge January 26 was a “difficult day for First Nations peoples”.

Mr Albanese said one way of healing division about Australia Day would be to hold a referendum for constitutional recognition of First Australians on January 26 to ensure the date was significant for Indigenous people and also acknowledged the country’s history.

“We need to work out ways in which we avoid the divisive debate that has occurred every year around this time, about the choice of date to have our national day,” Mr Albanese said.

Speaking at an Australia Day flag raising and citizenship ceremony in Canberra, Mr Morrison defended the national day and warned against “cancelling or escaping” the fact that “the course of this land changed forever” on January 26, 1788.

“On Australia Day we reflect on that journey, the price that has been paid for our freedom, the lessons of our history and the privilege of being able to call ourselves Australians,” Mr Morrison said.

“We do it on this day when the course of this land changed forever.

“There is no escaping or cancelling this fact. For better and worse, it was the moment where the ­journey to our modern Australia began.”

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was honoured with a Companion of the Order of Australia, said Australia Day should not be changed until the country voted to become a ­republic.

“I think when Australia becomes a republic, that the day the republic is proclaimed, that would be appropriate to be the new national day,” he told the ABC.

“We need a new national watershed, don’t we, and the obvious one is when we have an Australian citizen as our head of state.”

Mr Albanese acknowledged Mr Turnbull’s suggestion, noting he was also a supporter of Australia becoming a republic, but said the priority should be pursuing constitutional change for Indigenous Australians.