Shockadelic,

I like the Wikipedia gif good learning tool.

Okay, I overstated my case by excluding all of S.A. & the N.T, but your case is also overstated because it includes all of S.A. and all of the N.T.
The 135th parallel cuts mid-way through S.A. and to the east of the mid-way point in the N.T.

But, this helps state my case anyway, in that this is the ludicrous level of detail one needs to go to help extrapolate the meaning of January 26th across the whole country.

Whereas celebrating the true birth of this Nation is a far simpler affair.

You've got my vote for September 17th, we've got far too many holidays in the beginning of the year anyway. I just thought it would be too far from the existing day for people to accept it.

If the Royal Proclamation had never been signed we would never had become a single nation under one PM and one Parliament

The 9th of July would also be okay, because clause 3 in the Constitution authorised the proclamation anyway. But the Queens proclamation nicely sums up the whole story in a single document.
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/coaca430/s3.html

REPUBLIC
I don't think we can ever become a republic until we officially recognise the history behind the constitution through a national day of celebration ie Australia Day, otherwise we'll end up with another debauchery similar to the one perpetrated against Sect 15 of the Constitution.

If you look at the crossed-out text in the following link below, you'll see the original text from Sect 15 of the Constitution (1900), you'll see how beautifully it is written, in simple plain English, with the minimal use of text to convey an idea.

Now look below, at the gargantuan verbose modern legal jargon underneath it, they replaced the original text with garbage in the 1977 referendum.

http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2004C00469/Html/Text#param26

Sense "The 135th parallel cuts mid-way through S.A. and to the east of the mid-way point in the N.T."

But nobody settled there anyway for yonks, so it's kinda irrelevant where they drew the line.

"the ludicrous level of detail one needs to go to help extrapolate the meaning of January 26th across the whole country."

Which makes changing it even harder.
To justify change, you'd first have to explain why that date exists in the first place.

Most Aussies probably don't have a clue why that date is celebrated.
They just know it's "Australia Day", party time.
That's one reason it would be so hard to change it, it's simply unquestioningly accepted.

I agree about the ridiculousness of the Sect 15 revision, but it was necessary.
When the constitution was written, nobody was voting for parties in blocs, just individuals.

Verbose legalese is a curse of representative government.
More direct democracy would help eliminate much of it.
Many laws made by "representatives" would never be made by "the people", especially Australians, a people with an aversion to rigmarole and a preference for simplicity.

But I still think changing the day is a futile endeavour.

My god what a silly discussion. Why not make it Feb 2 or June 15 or October 30 or even Jan 26? Be happy there is a day to celebrate everything Australian.

Waterhole, I'm afraid the indigenous lefties, and their white Labor supporter base, won't accept any date, or ceremonies, that they don't approve of. So much for a united Australia.

Not only the date but also the location of the flag pole and which flag was flown.