The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
The Forum - On Line Opinion's article discussion area



Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Main Articles General

Sign In      Register

The Forum > Article Comments > Changing Australia Day > Comments

Changing Australia Day : Comments

By Andrew Bartlett, published 28/1/2009

Calls to change Australia Day are manna from heaven for radio shock jocks and history warriors: it’s no surprise Kevin Rudd wants to shut down debate.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. ...
  7. 16
  8. 17
  9. 18
  10. All
Well, some one had to be the first here. It was not an invasion fleet but a fleet of convict carriers accompanied by gaolers and some marines. Since no other European nation was interested in a settlement on the continent, the British flag extended the territory to what it is now thanks to the navigator Flinders who proved Australia to be an island continent. As for setting out to murder the Aboriginal first occupants, killing did take place as it did in all new lands such as those in Africa, the Americas and Asia. So what day shall we use to celebrate our nation ? Whatever day, be it the day the Commonwealth was declared or the first parliament was opened or the greatest day celebrated in Australia, the First Tuesday in November, the claptrap of invasion by the likes of Mick Dodson and the forever whinging Aboriginal do-gooders will continue. And it doesn't take a Pommy has been politician for the misguided centre group to tell us what to do.

Cheers,

Wubble You
Posted by wubble you, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 9:32:10 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Sorry, Andrew is a Queenslander by birth....it's the other crazy bloke in the West who was the Pommy ex When We ( when we were in Zimbabwe).
Posted by wubble you, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 9:38:46 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
AUSTRALIA DAY

Please allow me to suggest that Australia Day should be the day Australia becomes a republic. My guess is that could be within the
next couple of years or so.

Now is the dream time. The time to create. Time for all of us, indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, to get together and draw- up a constitution for the new republic that we all feel comfortable with.

If we are comfortable with the constitution we will be comfortable with Australia Day.

Banjo Paterson
Posted by Banjo Paterson, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 9:40:26 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
What about some of our historical OLO's giving consent to our Aboriginals, now famous as one of the oldest unchanged family societies in our world, having permanent representaion in our government.

With this blowing our bags on Monday how bloody good we are, with a part Abo' looking mostly like a whitie being lined up also with us whities, surely it is about time as with New Zealand and now Canada, we offered full bloods permanent representation in our Federal government.

Certainly something smart-arsed Pax Americana hasn't got around to either.

Now in my 88th year and glad that I originally left school at 12 during the Great Depression to drive a wagon team, might say without true permanent representation of the Great Southland's only dinkum families, might say I found little interest in us whities building ourselves up last Monday.
Posted by bushbred, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 10:53:22 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Wubble you, you are clearly not an historian. Britain was concerned that Spain, which controlled much of the Pacific (South America, Phillipines) would make a move on the East coast. France was also sniffing round and the First Fleet made it to Botany Bay only a day ahead of Bougainville.

I can't agree with Andrew Bartlett about a treaty and reconciliation - exactly what benefit would a treaty bring? And I am still waiting for someone to explain exactly what reconciliation is and what it will do. Making things right in indigenous Australia will take a long time and a lot of work, and it annoys me to have meaningless concepts like treaties and reconciliation trotted out as though they will immediately make things better. Even the Rudd apology did very little - a nice warm inner glow, but how have things actually improved since then?
Posted by Candide, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 10:59:05 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
If the ‘original inhabitants’ had done something to create a civilisation in the 30,000 or so years they had to raise themselves above the level of stone-age hunter gatherers, they may have been able to hang on to the country or, at worst, have it returned as with India.

As it is, the culture many of them are still trying to hold onto in unsustainable outback locations is well past its time, and nothing short of complete assimilation will do.

Australia Day, although an absolute farce due to the way successive governments have sold the country down the drain, has nothing to do with descendants of aborigines who don’t feel Australian because of some ancient culture which is dead and gone. Australia Day is about the white settlement of the country; not about 30,000 years in the Stone Age when there was no such place as Australia.

So, any calls for a change in the date are absolute nonsense.

As for Dodson being Australian of the Year, how ridiculous – the man spends most of his time rubbishing Australia and Australians. It was hypocritical of him to accept the award.
Posted by Leigh, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 11:07:57 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. ...
  7. 16
  8. 17
  9. 18
  10. All

About Us :: Search :: Discuss :: Feedback :: Legals :: Privacy