Australia Day date: Johnathan Thurston calls for change

The NRL star and Australian of the Year finalist has elaborated on his earlier call for a “national chat’’ on the controversial date.

Queensland Australian of the Year winner NRL player Jonathan Thurston says the nation needs to “have a chat’’ about Australia Day.

NRL star Johnathan Thurston has called for a change in the date of Australia Day, declaring it was not a date that was inclusive to indigenous Australians.

The North Queensland Cowboys halfback is Queensland’s Australian of the Year and one of eight finalists in the running for the national award to be announced in Canberra tonight.

The rugby league great has elaborated on his earlier call for a “national chat” on the date of the national day, saying he was in favour of having it changed, although he did not propose an alternative.

“I think people need to be educated on why our culture doesn’t feel (included) in this date, you have got to remember it is not just about the Frist Fleet, it is about the stealing of the land, the misplacement of the stolen generation, the injustices that were done all through the years so there is a lot of hurt that is still there from our elders,” Thurston said.

“A lot of them don’t pass that knowledge on to the next generation and in our culture it is all about storytelling, we want them to tell their story on what they’ve been through and what they’ve endured, that makes the next generation a lot stronger.”

Mr Thurston said the national day should be on a date that all Australians could be embraced.

“If everyone is educated about why our culture feels the way that they do towards this day then I think they would care about what our culture has been through, what our culture has endured over many years since settlement, and since the close the gap campaign came out in 2008 we are still way off track,” he said.

“Our culture has been around for thousands of years and the way we are going it is not going to be around for thousands more.”

Role models for us all

VIEW GALLERY

Fellow Australian of the Year nominee, indigenous entrepreneur Dion Devow, said he thought it was inevitable the date would change.

“Just because I am Aboriginal it doesn’t mean everyone has the same opinions, I am not saying mine are completely different to JT’s,” Mr Devow said.

“But I think it is worthy of a national conversation, it needs to be discussed. The date probably will change it is inevitable and I think Australia probably will make that decision.

“And I am really passionate about all Australians coming together, all Australians sharing and embracing (indigenous) culture as their own. It is really part of the fabric of Australian society and it has been since the beginning.”