I couldn't agree with him more. If we don't celebrate our genesis, we can't very well expect others to do so either. Besides, the author is a former copper from WA, so how could he be wrong?

Personally, I would not mind changing Australia day to another date - the Eureka stockade comes to mind. But I take your point that we should not apologise for our existence. I think the current date can still be marked as Australia day without offending Aborigines if it is not a mindless celebration.

Anzac day is a good example. It marks a military disaster fought for another country and is marred by too much patriotism in my opinion. But I would not like to see it abandoned. I would rather see it discussed differently. And I would especially like it to be noted that Australia voted against conscription in 1916, an amazing feat given the jingoistic spirit of the times.

If there's anything else you don't like or care for? Load it on the left or anything centre of the extreme right!

Or just blame labor. Blame labor, blame labor, blame labor. It doesn't matter what is, it could be his or his or his. And sung as endlessly repeated verse, to the tune of the mexican hat dance.

As for Australia day? If it ain't broke don't fix it or allow a vigorously waged, [urban activist,] tail to wag the dog!

I believe part of essential recognition and reconciliation needs to part of a long overdue, welcome to country and solemn smoking/broken spear ceremony at Bennelong point and on OUR Australia day. That draws a line under a past, that can NEVER EVER BE CHANGED!

And as important as it is in some tiny fixated obsessed minds? It pales completely in comparison to an inclusive democratic future!

Supported and underpinned by a bill of irrevocable rights, in this OUR Australia! Where the BS notion of a left or right can be finally jettisoned in the dustbin of history!

To be replaced with good or bad policy, up or down/in or out, and coupled to, long overdue, bipartisan pragmatism!
Alan B.

The War Against Everything!

Bundle this subject into gay rights blind march through our society, and what becomes painfully obvious, is that lack of the majority of the population to engage in, through personal interest, any form of protest against the blatant madness of unrepresentative causes, which best describes them.

If the teachers unions, the extended arm of the extraterrestrial race of left wing mutant Darleks, can dictate (through government control, represented as the Labor Party), that children be taught the virtues of gender bending; then what hope for defence against other mad causes such as this one.

Yes Alan B and what about cheap as Chips Thorium? Sell that to the Australian Labour Party lol!

A One Nation member whinging about nothing...as usual. And to state there is an 'unbalanced view of our history' being portrayed, is he serious? How about the 170 years of whitewash and master narrative that created the peaceful colonization myth...now there was (and in some cases still is) an unbalanced view of history. People like that are in denial of the facts. And there's a few minutes of my life wasted on his drivel.

J Bower: If man were meant to fly, he'd wings. Gills if meant to swim. Right?

As always the no nothing mockers, usually too tired to get up off the ass, to go take a crap.

Or go read a book, Super Fuel, sub titled green energy, or take in a top documentary, from google tech talks. As a credible, peer reviewed and highly rated, "the case for thorium," top documentary.

And contributed to by several highly credentialled highly respected scientists, who at least understand some science!

Laugh as long and as loud as you want J.B! Or just go on channeling Sargent Schultz.

You all have a nice day now y'hear, thanks for the opportunity and mind the splinters, blockhead.
Alan B.

Of course Australia Day should stay where it is. But what gives some Australians the idea that they have to keep educating newcomers, or that newcomers take notice of a small bunch of ratbag Marxists who are the same the world over? Most immigrants come here because of the way it is, not the way few malcontents would like it to be.

Our Commonwealth of Australia commenced on January 1st, 1901.

The official ceremonies began around noon in Centennial Park, Sydney, with Australia's first Governor-General Lord Hopetoun sworn in, followed by our first Prime Minister Sir Edmund Barton, then other Commonwealth ministers taking their oaths of office.

Choice of noon was practical, to ensure all recovered from their 1901 New Years celebrations, so all make it to these afternoon events then celebrations :-)

Switching to events starting at noon on January 1st retains historical significance for Australia, with other benefits.

.

//Switching to events starting at noon on January 1st retains historical significance for Australia, with other benefits.//

But it means we lose a public holiday. The people will never go for it.

I heard a good suggestion the other day: shift it to Wattle Day, September 1st - the day is entirely unpolitical and therefore unlikely to upset anybody, and it's a nice time of year to have a public holiday.

Hi Toni Lavis, it is probably a bit sad that part of the debate about Australia Day and alternative dates comes down to a public holiday. However, that is about the extent of thinking by some (or many). As to celebrating Federation Day and having a public holiday then perhaps the 2nd of Jan could be a 'by proxy' public holiday. It would offer the opportunity for a '4 day weekend' and enable people to have an extra day over the xmas/new year period rather than taking a rec leave day.

Of course, the significance of Federation Day may well be lost on many due to that but in essence who'd really care? Another alternate date is the 3rd of March, which signifies when Australia actually became an independent nation due to the dual passing of the Australia Act 1986 in our parliament and in the British parliament. That Act finally severed the official ties to the 'mother country'.

For me the 3rd of March has far more significance than the 26th of January and a public holiday in the first week of March would be most welcome. The weather is still (on the whole) great so bbqs can be held and more awareness could be created about when Australia actually became an independent nation.

//Hi Toni Lavis, it is probably a bit sad that part of the debate about Australia Day and alternative dates comes down to a public holiday.//

I should point out that I'm one of those people who'd be unhappy about losing a public holiday. Work/life balance is important, and so are public holiday penalty rates. Cutting the number of public holidays is a distinctly Liberal idea, and I'm opposed.

//As to celebrating Federation Day and having a public holiday then perhaps the 2nd of Jan could be a 'by proxy' public holiday.//

Nah, that end of the year is already overcrowded with public holidays. September would be good, although your suggestion of a date in March also sounds agreeable. It's good camping weather.

Australia day causes offence because of its name. Whatever day it is changed to will offend some snowflake somewhere.

Full Spectrum Dominance.
I hate to say it but these smaller issues are more or less irrelevant.
It's the big picture that matters.

You mentioned the education system dominated by leftists, but that's just the tip of the iceberg, the situation truly is a whole lot worse.

The progressive left are dominated by ANTIFA and a claim to be ANTI-FASCIST, but are actually NEO-LIBERAL FASCISTS, intent on destroying the entire country with the support of the MSM and they have pushed their warped communist ideology into everything.
'Divide and Conquer'

George Soros bathes in blood and is pushing us all towards a civil war.
We're no different to America in the way media reports things and plays to the leftists and the way we have Soros funded progressives running around committing acts of violence and wilful damage and the government more or less turns a blind eye, because those pricks are all looking for a position in global government themselves.

Screw Hillary, Obama, Soros and the Deep State as well as their Neo-Liberal fascist army of minorities with their faces covered being empowered to revolt and destroy the nation.

And who to blame, 'The sovereign citizen, the racist, the xenophobe'.
Anything to push the progressive agenda along.

The worst part of the education system is that they now advise companies that they must hire ethnic people to promote diversity rather than hiring the most qualified for the job.

One hand rubs the other like a well oiled progressive machine set on a path of civil war and total destruction of our nation.

The country has gone crazy, our western societies will not last much longer in the form they are.
So forget Australia day, it matters not.
Lets just call it 'Progressive's Day' instead.
Australia is destroyed, most of you just haven't bothered to read the memo yet..

Dreamers living in the past.
The left runs the show, face the facts.
And they have an immigrant majority in many of our capital cities.

All this progressive, inclusive, equality crap is the opposite of what it portrays itself to be.
It's about divide and conquer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divide_and_rule

//Australia day causes offence because of its name.//

No, it causes offence to some people because of its date. I've heard a number of people who feel strongly about this topic speaking on the subject: all of them have said that it's the date that bothers them and they'd be quite happy with 'Australia Day' on a different date, and none of them have said they'd be quite happy to keep it on that date as long as we change the name to 'Beer & BBQ Day' or whatever.

Who knows, maybe there are some people who out there who do object to the name. Pedants who point out that January 26th should really be called 'NSW Day' or some such. But if they do exist, they're awfully quiet.

//Whatever day it is changed to will offend some snowflake somewhere.//

Yes, that's probably unavoidable. Being offended is a snowflake's raison d'etre. Oh, and speaking of...

//the education system dominated by leftists//

[citation needed]

//The progressive left are dominated by ANTIFA//

[citation needed]

//are actually NEO-LIBERAL FASCISTS, intent on destroying the entire country with the support of the MSM and they have pushed their warped communist ideology into everything.//

[citation needed]

//George Soros bathes in blood//

[citation needed]

//and is pushing us all towards a civil war.//

[citation needed]

//We're no different to America//

[citation needed]

//the way media reports things and plays to the leftists//

Have you ever read the Terrorgraph, AC?

//we have Soros funded progressives running around committing acts of violence and wilful damage//

[citation needed]

//the government more or less turns a blind eye, because those pricks are all looking for a position in global government themselves.//

[citation needed]

//The worst part of the education system is that they now advise companies that they must hire ethnic people to promote diversity rather than hiring the most qualified for the job.//

[citation needed]

//One hand rubs the other like a well oiled progressive machine set on a path of civil war and total destruction of our nation.//

[citation needed]

//The country has gone crazy, our western societies will not last much longer in the form they are.//

[citation needed]

//So forget Australia day, it matters not.//

[citation needed]

//Australia is destroyed//

[citation needed]

//The left runs the show, face the facts.//

[citation needed]

//And they have an immigrant majority in many of our capital cities.//

[citation needed]

//All this progressive, inclusive, equality crap is the opposite of what it portrays itself to be.
It's about divide and conquer.//

[citation needed]

Someone forgot to take their meds today...
It's called 'online opinion' not 'online citation' you nutjob.
And you claim to be intelligent?

I could provide a link or citation to probably everything I just said but I don't have to jump through your hoops Toni.
I'm not your house-trained leg-humping lapdog, and I'd have less respect for myself if I did give you the links.
- Go look up the facts for yourself.

You're not off your face or something are you?

So what's this then stupid?
http://refusefascism.org/an-emergency-organizing-meeting/

What's so special about November 4?
100yr anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution you stupid ignorant commie-loving progressive imbecile.

Not much to inspire in those posts.
Federation Day is a day for politicians as a new parliament was
installed as we already had six parliaments and governments.

The day the first fleet arrived was for all, aborigines especially,
the biggest event in 60,000 years !

Tell me what was a bigger event ?
Did aliens arrive from remote star systems sometime in the past? No ?

Other tribes told us of big canoes in the bay to the south.
They were like the one that was there 18 summers ago.
Then a smaller canoe arrived in our harbour and after a quick look
around went back to the south bay.

White skinned men wearing strange skins of white and blue arrived in
the most enormous canoes ever seen.
They came onto the beach in smaller canoes and put up a strange
thing of several colours and the one who was their senior elder
made a speech to everyone there and then some of them pointed their
long clubs into the air and with a loud noise and fire they all called
out three times.

That was really something, I wonder what it means ?

Looks like somebody's a bit triggered...

“We should stop pretending that the relatively peaceful colonisation of Australia at the hands of the British makes the country uniquely tainted or that erasing monumental events from our national calendar will somehow change the past.”

Good god this bloke is a pig-ignorant piece of work. My state Victoria was settled relatively late in the piece and entire aboriginal populations were gone within a generation. Massacres, poisonings and neglect. The extensive language groups that existed across our Western Districts disappeared in the blink of an eye. There are many things we have to be proud of in this country but our violent, genocidal colonisation is not one of them. Acknowledge it, respect the attitudes of those who feel the pain of it and just bloody quit trying to rewrite the its history.

Changing a date that has only relatively recently been solidified as a national day is not a big thing especially if it brings us more together as a nation.

On Jan 26, 1788, was largely uneventful. Not one aboriginal was hurt or abused in any way and the landing of the first fleet was largely uneventful. The importance of day lies solely in it being a turning point in the history of Australia which is why it was chosen as Australia day.

The attack on Australia day is not against what occurred on that day, but an attack on the very existence of present-day Australia, by rent-seeking Aboriginals and self-loathing left whingers addicted to identity politics and virtue gesturing.

That through the lens of modern-day standards, the original treatment of the indigenous population was harsh, the reality is that the life of aboriginals prior to 1788 was short, violent, and largely wretched, and if Aus had been colonised by any other nationality their outcome would likely have been far worse.

Jan 26th was only formalised as Australia day in 1994 but was celebrated as far back as 1808 and is far more meaningful than the left whinge sycophants make out.

The issue could be easily resolved with a plebiscite attached to the next federal election.

Shadow Minister states “The importance of [Australia] day lies solely in it being a turning point in the history of Australia which is why it was chosen as Australia day. The day itself in 1788 was pretty banal one and the celebrations around it always ignored atrocities that happened to many Aboriginal peoples around the nation. It was (and for many, still is) a celebration of peaceful colonisation…a concept that was a mythical creation of white males bent on presenting a master narrative that venerated the white colonists/invaders as heroic for being able to conquer and tame the ‘wild country’.
“The attack on Australia day is not against what occurred on that day, but an attack on the very existence of present-day Australia, by rent-seeking Aboriginals and self-loathing left whingers…” What load of unmitigated rubbish. I don’t agree with Australia Day on the current date as I know what it represents…massacres, rapes, torture, kidnapping, theft of lands, slavery and more. And it isn’t even the correct date of when the British landed or officially took possession, without permission, of the east coast. By the way SM, what are ‘rent-seeking Aboriginals…’?

‘…the reality is that the life of aboriginals (sic) prior to 1788 was short, violent, and largely wretched, and if Aus had been colonised by any other nationality their outcome would likely have been far worse.’ No evidence presented to substantiate any of it. Cook’s description of Aborigines was that they led far happier, contented and prosperous lives than Europeans. Watkin Tench described Aboriginal people as living a simple but good life (until the arrival of over 1000 Europeans wrecked things for them anyway). The experiences of many other colonised countries shows that treaties were often reached…never happened in ‘Aus’.

‘Jan 26th was only formalised as Australia day in 1994 but was celebrated as far back as 1808 and is far more meaningful than the left whinge sycophants make out.’ Until 1817 there was no such thing as Australia, it was New Holland, so to try and state Australia Day was celebrated as far back as 1808 is a falsehood. Even after 1817 there was no such thing as a collective Australia and it was only from the 1850s when the word was used to describe a nation…and even then it was simply a collection of colonies and not a unified nation-state.

In 1938 Aboriginal people in NSW and Vic nominated Jan 26th as a 'Day of Mourning' and held the first civil rights protest in Sydney. Protest have been held ever since and will continue until a true and unifying national day is chosen.

Minotaur,

With regards your comment "I don’t agree with Australia Day on the current date as I know what it represents…massacres, rapes, torture, kidnapping, theft of lands, slavery and more." Please clarify which of these events happened on Jan 26th? If you can't, then you are simply associating Australia day with all the ills of colonisation which is independent of the 26th.

I'm sorry if you struggle with English, but: The day of the 26th of Jan was celebrated from 1808 under various names, was adopted by all states as Australia day in 1935, and finally in 1994 was declared a public holiday.

As for the lifestyle of the hunter-gather indigenous population, as with every other pre-agricultural communities, life spans would seldom exceed 30yrs and been largely preoccupied with eking out an existence, especially as their food supply was subject to the vagaries of the weather. combine that with intermittent wars with other tribes, starvation and disease and the picture is far less glowing than the occasional encounter described by Cook would have you believe.

What is it about people like Shadow Minister who just don't get when it comes to what Australia Day represents for Aboriginal people? It matters not that on the 26th of Jan 1788 that nothing overtly untoward occurred towards or to Aborigines of the area. The landing was the catalyst for what was to come. I would have thought that that was a fairly simple concept to understand.

SM also massively over-generalises about pre-colonial Aboriginal societies. They were diverse and people in all regions knew their food sources extremely well. I know a fraction of what my Aboriginal ancestors knew but I know enough to be able to source food all year round in the bush. Aboriginal people across the nation had various methods of preserving and storing food sources. Most people remain pig-ignorant of that though and prefer to believe Aborigines to be simple people who led short and brutal lives. Keep on exposing that ignorance SM, it serves your agenda so well!

A lot of what is written in the opinion piece, I agree with.

One part I do not, that being:

<< Internationally, Australia is seen as a success story>>

This is not the case at all and Australia, has a lot of improvement to undertake in that context. At present, a good percentage of Australians look at other countries (particularly those that are not seen to be good condition) and see Australia as a fine country to live in, when in fact there are a lot of areas needing vast improvement.

For example, Australia at present has a very weak foreign affairs record. This very much fits in with the context of this opinion piece. For example one line reads:

<<Those arguing that the arrival of the First Fleet on January 26, 1788 is nothing but a source of shame are, in effect, asserting that our entire national existence is lamentable.>>

This element is still part of Australian culture today. Many people simply talk down the value of Australia and this impacts on Australia as a nation and also in a global context.

In 2012 (under the Gillard Government), a vote was taken (with the United Nations) in relation in regards to Israel and Palestine. The Australian Government, decided to abstain on the matter. What was surprising however, was that countries such as Australia were outvoted by a range of smaller countries, who's governments had the courage to take a strong independent stance and make it clear what their position was.

It is important to recognise the deep enriched history of Australia. Many do not, including history teachers at schools. Some states are removing the subject at a year 12 level and keeping modern European history (as this is what many teachers want to teach), due to its interest, culture and particularly, age.

If you view the following youtube, you can see an interesting part of Australia's history and why such moves to write off many parts of Australian history should not be allowed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOwqoEgED1g

I seem to recollect that it was called Anniversary Day.

Minotaur,

Thanks for confirming that the complaints about Australia day are entirely about the formation of Australia and not about the day itself. It is like the rent seekers that want to get rid of ANZAC day. I believe that in most the feelings are confected and would go away with a sizable dollop of cash.

Only the pig ignorant would try and glamourise the life of the hunter-gatherer. Even a small group would need to roam a large area to locate enough food, as it does not take long for the local area to be picked clean, and even then the bush tucker is generally lacking in all the vital requirements for adequate nutrition. That the tribes fought each other is well documented, as is a plethora of unpleasant practices.

Shadow Minister, you need to do some research into how Aboriginal people around Australia lived and their practices for food production. To label them as simple hunter/gatherers is to completely ignore some of the very advanced methods used to produce and harvest food sources. One example being that of the groups in the Lake Condah area (Victoria) where they created complex systems of lake level management to ensure a constant supply of short finned eels. The eels were often smoked to preserve them and the people lived in huts of stone, wood and bark.

It is now established the people lived around the lakes for up to 9 months of year. Their times away from the area coincided with when the eels would migrate north to spawn and later return, as would the young…thus ensuring a constant supply of food. The 3 months the people were not in the area was a time for them to go and trade with others, have ceremonies and reconnect with relatives or others. All very important cultural and social practices.

In Tasmania, on the far north-west and west coasts, Aboriginal people lived in small villages of sturdy huts built on the sand dunes. Often they’d have a winter hut in one area and a summer hut in another. As coastal people they had constant supplies of food, all of it full of nutrients necessary for a healthy diet. Their seasonal movements reflect what many modern Australians do if they are affluent enough to have a home in one place and ‘shack’ in another.

As to there being internecine warfare, yes there was but most often done under strict regulation that both sides adhered to. The same cannot be said for many of the ‘wars’ (including terrorism) being conducted across the world now. As to ‘unsavory’ cultural practices, well yes there were (and in some cases still are, such as male genital mutilation via sub-incision). However, many cultures today have ‘unsavory’ practices some believe to be integral to them…often done, or ‘justified’, as a ‘cultural practice’ and therefore should be (according to the proponents) ‘untouchable’.

Minotaur,

I can see that your reading of aboriginal history consists entirely of fluff pieces.

Try an unfiltered diet for a change:

http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/bennelong-papers/2013/05/the-long-bloody-history-of-aboriginal-violence/

Shadow Minister accuses me of only reading 'fluff' pieces in regards to Aboriginal history and then presents an article from the biased and barely reputable Quadrant Magazine, whose editor in chief is (and was at the time of the article's publication) Keith Windschuttle...bahahaha. Immediate credibility fail!

SM, I suggest to you that you do as I have done and research more widely than simply relying on articles in such a biased publication. Then again that would mean having to confront material that doesn't suit your agenda or narrow-minded view of things. I believe that you'd much prefer to keep relying upon the master narrative of Australian history and the mythical peaceful colonisation of 'savages' who deserved to be conquered, massacred, raped, forced into slavery and 'meekly' surrendered their lands that they had cultivated and mastered so well for 60 000 years.

If ignorance is bliss then you must be one very happy person SM!

Minotaur,

If you restrict your reading only to PC sanitised articles then you will come up with drivel like this. I fully accept that there are positive stories, but to airbrush out the unpleasant facts is to be deliberately ignorant. If you don't accept the quadrant essay, then there are plenty of others and plenty of archaeological evidence to show a pretty violent past. With regards your previous post, one tribe migrating to follow their food source (the eels) is exactly the behaviour of hunter-gatherers.

No one thinks that the treatment of the native population was acceptable, but present-day Australia is something to be proud of.

How priceless of SM to accuse me of 'drivel'. Keep posting SM as it is quite entertaining to see someone continually and graphically demonstrating they have no credibility.

Minotaur,

As you have zero credibility, your posts are laughable as well.

strange how it is mainly 'progressives' who are stirring up the Indigeneous and want the rest of history rewritten. I would of thought being 'progressive'they would celebrate the end of young girls being given to uncles, electricity being produced in this nation along with schools, roads and hospitals being built. No instead they push their idiotic anti white garbage and some how pretend that this place was a paradise before British settlement. I wonder how much dumber one can become.

Probably not much dumber than yourself and Shadow Minister, runner. The dumb and dumber duo of OLO.