Australia Day date problematic, says Linda Burney

Linda Burney calls January 26 “problematic’’ as Bill Shorten avoids issuing a statement on the Greens-led push to shift the date.

Story Bridge Hotel staffers Annalise Hayes, left, and Rhianna Gaden prepare for the Australia Day cockroach races. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Opposition frontbencher Linda Burney says Australia Day is “problematic”, declaring it marks the “usurpation of Aboriginal sovereignty”, as Labor struggles to respond to a Greens-led push to move the national day.

With the Greens dominating public debate on the merits of holding Australia Day on January 26, Bill Shorten has refused to issue a statement about his views, leaving colleagues to issue mixed messages on Labor’s position.

Ms Burney, an indigenous MP, issued fresh concerns about Australia Day as senior government ministers lashed Greens leader Richard Di Natale after he supported calls to fly the flag at half-mast on government buildings on January 26.

“There is much for us to celebrate about this great country but you cannot ignore the fact that the date of January 26 is problematic. It marks the usurpation of Aboriginal sovereignty. I’m not sure this ought to be the most defining moment in our nation’s history,” Ms Burney said.

“I don’t see the date of Australia Day changing any time soon, and I don’t propose changing it.

“But I do think we should use this day as an opportunity to reflect on the pain of the past as well as on how we can improve the lives of First Australians.”

A spokesman for Mr Shorten, who has returned to work, said the Labor leader had not changed his opposition to moving Australia Day, and rejected the Greens’ push to fly flags on government buildings at half-mast. Oppos­ition employment spokesman Brendan O’Connor described the Greens-led debate about changing the date of Australia Day as “worthy”.

“I understand people are upset; there are people upset about Australia Day,” Mr O’Connor said.

“For some Australians, of course indigenous Australians, there’s a sense of great difficulty reconciling the idea that day is the day Australians will celebrate given they would see it as a very difficult day for them, and for that reason I can understand the debate.

“I don’t think we should close down debate because people don’t like an idea.”

Asked whether the debate over Australia Day was occurring within Labor, Mr O’Connor said it was going on “everywhere”. “I think you’re always trying to reconcile a view of the nation with a sense of history,” he said. “It’s true to say, I think, we’ve closed our minds to many things that happened in history that we are now re-examining.”

Senator Di Natale, who this week sparked a renewed push to shift Australia Day to a new date, said he “absolutely” supported a call from Northcote MP Lidia Thorpe — the first Aboriginal woman elected to Victoria’s parliament — to fly the flag at half-mast on Australia Day. “Flags at half-mast is an absolute reasonable response to what is a day that represents pain and suffering,” Senator Di Natale said.

“I think if we see, we hear, from Aboriginal people saying until this date’s changed we want to mark it in a different way, then I think we need to listen to the Aboriginal people.”

Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge said Ms Thorpe’s call was a “ridiculous proposition”.

“I think Australia Day has been a terrific day where we properly celebrate the big three pillars of our society, being the indigenous heritage, the British foundation and multicultural character,” Mr Tudge told Sky News. “Now we properly celebrate all three of those on Australia Day. We do that exceptionally well. On Australia Day we increasingly recognise indigenous people through the awarding of the Australian of the Year award to indigenous people.”

As the political debate rages, pubs across the nation are preparing for the big day.

At Brisbane’s Story Bridge Hotel, preparations continue for the pub’s 37th annual Australia Day cockroach races.

Manager Annalise Hayes, who has been working at the city pub for two months, said she was looking forward to watching the day unfold.

“I haven’t worked one yet, I am excited to see what it is like, I’ve been hearing about it for years,” she said. Ms Hayes said when not working she celebrated Australia Day “the usual way”. “I’ll normally be with a few friends, we’ll have a barbecue, an inflatable pool, a few beers and some good food.”

Additional reporting: Rachel Baxendale, Sarah Elks