Government action over Australia Day a childish reaction to childish protest

The Founding of Australia.painting by Algernon Talmage. Picture: State Library of NSW.

I’m comfortable with Australia Day falling on 26 January, albeit while acknowledging that for some (perhaps many) indigenous Australians it is a hurtful date to choose to use. However, the arrival of the First Fleet really was the birth of Australia as the nation it now is. It’s something that can therefore be celebrated, albeit at the same time as recognising the atrocities which were committed in a more barbaric age than that we live in today.

Having said all of that, I would personally support changing Australia Day to the date at which we become a republic, if we ever become a republic, as a more unifying date of celebration. Of course monarchists might disagree that it would be a unifying date! We could thereafter keep 26 January as a Foundation Day public holiday, off-loading the Queen’s Birthday public holiday in the process.

However, we do need to recognise that today’s opinion poll showing that nearly 30 per cent of Australians support changing the date for Australia Day is a very sizeable minority. That really was my biggest take out from the results, I assumed a much lower figure. Not enough to force change, mind you, not in a majoritarian democracy. But certainly enough to support protests and debate about the date. Other movements for progressive change started from a much lower base, going on to build significant majority support.

And those protests about Australia Day, we know, include some councils refusing to perform citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day. Not many, but enough to be noticed, reflecting the progressive tendencies of the areas they represent. Because council areas are generally much smaller than federal electorates, it is possible to have significant majorities in those areas supporting cha going the date even though nationally only 30 per cent of Australians do.

Again, I don’t support such protests. I don’t even understand why selecting the date of citizenship ceremonies is something local governments do. Surely such powers are better placed in the hands of state and federal governments — which have constitutional recognition and powers. But the motivation and reactionary way a change to that approach is currently being considered bothers me.

If there is one thing worse than the odd council engaging in a little protest around Australia Day, it is a federal government coming in all guns blazing looking to stifle their ability to do so. I mean really, grow up. Hasn’t this government got better things to do?

Scott Morrison’s jingoistic attempt to quash dissent in the odd rotten borough at the local government level really should be beneath a PM. At worst it is a form of politically motivated dog whistling, aimed at thriving on division on an issue on which the PM has sided with the majority. A blatant attempt to lift his woeful polling numbers. At best it’s just a childish response to a childish protest, wherein the PM stoops and demeans himself and his office via his reaction.

Neither option reflects very well on the PM.

Peter van Onselen is a professor of politics at the University of Western Australia and Griffith University.