January 26th is called Australia Day. The question for me is, who physically was here first? Animals like Koalas, Kangaroos, Crocodiles, Magpies, Penguins, Lizards, Fish.....

We are however told Aboriginal people are the traditional owners of this land. Why? I don't know and I'm related to Aboriginal people myself (having two Aboriginal nephews).

So why do some humans keep purposefully destroying the wildlife, habitat, environment and the homes of the first ones here - native wildlife - when I feel no Australian people truly own this land?

If my home was destroyed by a vandal - it would not be tolerated.

< If my home was destroyed by a vandal - it would not be tolerated. >

Unless the vandal had a bigger gun/army than you, then you'd tolerate it like everyone and everything has since time immemorial. Welcome to planet earth where psychopaths set the rules.

Nathanj Gday and welcome.
Today we celebrate the British first settling Australia.
It may well have been the French.
And emerging evidence tells us many other country,s and peoples came here before them,
'Dirk Harthog [sorry about the spelling] put his plate up long before Others.
But who owns England, it has been taken over by Vikings Romans so what culture belongs there.
And tell this protector and defender of Aboriginal culture how many remember even understand the culture of their ancestors back on that first settlement day.
All of us do not fully know our blood lines ancestors, so how many of our first Nation would never have been born if the parents from other cultures never came?
I think great leaders from First Nation should re consider invasion day, look again at the progress that never happened for some, because they did not make the effort to lift them selves away from what is in all truth not the culture of their ancestors or bought about by other than their own actions.
Let every Australian from every race and back ground enjoy this day Australia without doubt belongs to us all, what we make of it is in our hands

Nathan, mans intervention into wildlife has been somewhat of a double edged sword in many cases.

On the one hand we have destroyed much of their natural habitat, while on the other hand we have also provided them with a more regular source of food and water than they enjoyed prior to our intervention, with crops.

Now that's the bush side of the story.

As for urban areas, well, we have destroyed much of their habitat but then again we are fully aware of this and, we take reasonable steps to accommodate them, something I seriously doubt would have occurred had they been rulers.

As for them owning the land, sorry, doesn't fit for me as the rule in the animal kingdom is eat, or be eaten. A bit like a Hitler mentality.

I also doubt anyone can claim ownership to something unless they actually pay for it, or they inherit it, or have title to it, indigenous ownership, although against my opinion is an exception.

seen we all die I would suggest we are stewards not owners of this land or any other land for that matter. Overall Australia has done much much better than most others when looking after the country. If you travel to third world nations you will see much of it covered in trash.

who really owns this country?
NathanL,
I'd like to think those who worked for it.