We celebrate "Australia Day," on the 26th January
each year and for some people this has been a bone
of contention - especially our First People - the
Aborigines many of whom refer to that day as
"Invasion-Day." The day of the arrival of the First
Fleet.

Would it be more appropriate to change the date when
the first Australian Government was sworn in before a
huge crowd in Sydney's Centennial Park on 1st January
1901, the first day of the new century?

What do you think?

Like many of these opinions that affect aborigines just will not be
relevant in a few hundred years.
Even now often you cannot recognise an aborigine as such.
The only other relevant day would be 1st January 1901.
However that pretends the previous 121 years never happened.

The catch is we already have a holiday on 1st January, so I imagine no-one would be in favour of this.

Actually, maybe there is a benefit in keeping Jan 26 as Australia Day/Invasion Day. It is a reminder that the origin of 'Australia' was not neat and simple, worthy of unthinking patriotism, but a complex event with winners and losers. Recognising this complexity is necessary to a clear view of the strengths (many) and weaknesses (still a few) of Australia, which is the basis of true community and reconciliation.

While there are good reasons for celebrating 1 January, if this became Australia day, it would be too easy to sweep under the carpet the complex consequences of 26 January 1888.

Re Bazz' comment. Everywhere in the world people are still holding grievances and fighting battles that are hundreds of years old. Aboriginal issues will still be with us hundreds of years in the future. But what we do now can help temper the emotions, so that grievances are put aside and we live together with the best of both worlds (plus all the other worlds that have joined us since 1788).

‘morning Foxy,

Should we stop celebrating Christmas, Easter, Labor Day, change our National flag, change our National Anthem, change our constitution to embrace more minorities, become a republic, institute a Global Warming Day and incarcerate deniers, hand over what’s left of our sovereignty to the UN, cancel all treaties with the USA’s evil empire, disband our military, move our capital to Hobart, nationalize all our banks, move the ABC to parliament house, ban elections and base policy priorities based on “twitter” traffic.

Anything else you would like Australian’s to bend over for?

Dear Bazz,

To many Australians - especially younger ones -
Australia Day is merely a holiday. A day off
from work.

The historian Henry Reynolds in his book,
"Why Weren't We told?" has pointed out
that "Black-armband history is often distressing,
but it does enable us to know and understand the
incubus which burdens us all."

I agree with Cossomby that the history of our first
people will very much still be with us in the future.
And should be taught to young Australians.

Similar sentiments are often expressed by contributors
who write to the newspapers. One example given by
Reynolds was of someone writing that he thought it was
high time, that this aspect of our past became
"more fully accepted and appropriately commemorated
and widely understood by young Australians," who
could "try to make amends for the past by fostering
reconciliation between Aboriginal Australians and
themselves."