Australia Day - Shifting the Date

[Lebbo73]

I couldn't give two hoots for Australia Day and what anyone thinks about it. Just scrap it altogether and make everyone go to work. I will be playing golf anyway.
This thread has given me extra motivation to crush the golf ball as I imagine it is one of the nutters celebrating it or complaining about it.

 

[tandino]

Australia Day is what people make of it, and it always will be such. I don't think you could ever placate those who take issue with the day itself, even by changing the date.

My opinion is these people don't hold grievances over the date, but they actually hold grievances for a wide range of reasons and are looking for a date to air them. Those grievances will always be there even if the date were to change.

 

[The Punter]

It is all well to look to change the date, but it will be very difficult to find a completely inclusive date, considering how multi-cultural we are.

Having said that choosing a date that is not the date Indigenous Australians feel is the most offensive date possible could very well be worth doing.

Do we try to pick the most appropriate date, or the least offensive date?

 

[Admiral Byng]

Seriously though, would January 1 not be the logical date?

But you can't have that as a public holiday, it's already taken.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

Seriously though, would January 1 not be the logical date?

What and lose a public holiday? That's un-austrayan.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/life/article/2016/01/22/seven-most-offensive-ways-spend-australia-day

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Like it or not that's where it started for the majority of us. Yes there were some atrocious things done

* you. Trying to downplay it

 

[Bomberboyokay]

It is all well to look to change the date, but it will be very difficult to find a completely inclusive date, considering how multi-cultural we are.

Having said that choosing a date that is not the date Indigenous Australians feel is the most offensive date possible could very well be worth doing.

Do we try to pick the most appropriate date, or the least offensive date?

I think almost any date would be better recieved than the current one. It's literally the day the British moved in and never left.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

When I say 'moved in' I really mean 'hostile and prolonged annexation'.

 

[Pessimistic]

Poms have a habit of doing that

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Poms have a habit of doing that

Some of them convince themselves the world is better for it.

 

[radiojake]

https://www.facebook.com/events/161845574186315/

In the meantime if you want to read what your local MENSA members think about the 26th Jan, check out this page...


I mean, it's pretty funny to see how many throwbacks resort to verbal abuse and threats of physical violence because someone wants to burn a symbol...

and they say that the Muslims get too worked up about insulting Islam....

 

[Xsess]

I think we should either; 1) erase Jan 26 1788 from our history books and pretend European settlement never happened; 2) make up a whole alternate history pretending nothing good ever come of Australia's settlement - all wear black, play sombre music and outdo each other with articulate platitudes begging forgiveness for the sins carried out in our name; 3) swap it for some sort of indigenous event that kinda ignores the 24,500,00 non aboriginals or; 4) lighten up and enjoy a public holiday celebrating of all things Australia.

 

[Pessimistic]

We are lightening up, just all have different ways of doing that. Isnt that the point?

 

[Mancey]

Needs to remain on the 26th simply due to the cricket and hottest 100

 

[Illinois Nazi]

Just move it back a month to Feb 26th. Hey, that's my birthday! What a coincidence!

I liked the reasoning for July 5th in the OP, but I couldn't handle the fact that with time zone differences it would line up with July 4th in the US and too many of the morons would think that was what we were celebrating.

If a Republic was imminent that would be the obvious solution, but I don't think it is.

 

[Admiral Byng]

Needs to remain on the 26th simply due to the cricket and hottest 100

Needs to be somewhere near the end of school holidays, for sure.

 

[medusala]

It seems a no-brainer....

To leave it alone. Its only an issue to friends of the ABC sort. That campaigners like Adam Goodes don't like it is even more reason to keep it.

Back on topic, I can't help feeling like there could be a way to re-frame the 'Invasion Day' story so the indigenous don't feel it is such a depressing day for them.

Reminds me of poor old Julia having to be rescued from rent a crowd tools blathering on about the "tent embassy".

 

[Nankervis brothers]

Once we become a republic we can use that date.

Until then no other date really makes sense, as we aren't really a fully fledged nation.

True, that would solve the problem...... should it ever occur.

 

[Nankervis brothers]

Holding the national holiday on Nyd would not be logical

Totally true, though it's so illogical and impractical I kinda like it.

 

[Admiral Byng]

Once we become a republic we can use that date.

Until then no other date really makes sense, as we aren't really a fully fledged nation.

Perhaps it could be arranged to fall on 1 February. That would be a convenient alternative date.

 

[medusala]

When I say 'moved in' I really mean 'hostile and prolonged annexation'.

Odd way to describe bringing of civilisation to Australia.

 

[CM86]

Odd way to describe bringing of civilisation to Australia.

Bored Meds?

Fishing hard for a bite in this thread...

 

[Nankervis brothers]

We are a fully fledged nation and became officially so at 4 pm AEST on the 3rd March 1986 when the Australia Act came into force.

The Australia Act eliminated the remaining possibilities for the UK to legislate with effect in Australia, for the UK to be involved in Australian government, and for an appeal from any Australian court to a British court. The Australia Act also removed the power of the British government to be involved in the governing of an Australian State.

So if you want a date to replace "Australia Day" the 3rd March is the date Australia became totally independent from the UK and would be a good choice.

That is actually a very good suggestion. I'd put it second to the imminent - or never occurring - date in which we become a republic.

 

[Nankervis brothers]

View attachment 209171

The July dates are problematic for the same reasons as the other dates are problematic - they refer to the actions of an English Parliament and an English Monarch.

Seems to me a bit like the Republican movement overall - everyone can agree that a change needs to be made; no one can agree on the change.

Agreed the July dates are still too connected to Britain, but there doesn't seem a great deal on offer. It's a shame Federation was proclaimed a week later. Poor foresight.