With the celebration of Australia’s national day on January 26th being so divisive within the community, and for many lacking in significance, it has been suggested that a new day to express our national pride in being Australian should be undertaken. Few Australian’s have much in common with the arrival of Arthur Phillip and his band of convicts, soldiers, other employees of the British Crown and a few free settlers on this date in 1788. In our diverse and multicultural society a celebration that is based on a British event in Australia’s history seems out of place today, another date to recognize all Australians would be much more appropriate.

With Australia almost certain to make constitutional recognition of the first Australians law, that will be the day when all Australians are recognized as truly equal. Then that day should be the day of national celebration, A day which is inclusive of all, the first Australians, native born Australian’s, and those new Australian’s who have chosen to make this country home.

I've got an idea; let the people vote on it;in conjunction with the next Federal Election, (to cut down on the cost).

For the Lucky Country it's Friday 13th. We never defeated an invasion, had a revolution or got a new king. Britain ruled the world and has no national day. Australia day does nothing but upset the landlords every 26 January, no-one knows the words of "girt by sea" and furthermore and.....

personally I care little about what day Australians celebrate. The aboriginals who like a sniff of truth must be rejoicing that the British built homes, roads, planted trees and crops, built hospitals and police stations. Especially pleased must be the young girls and women. They must be pleased to be free from much savagery from the past.

Dear Paul,

Australia is a great country to live in and I think that's
worth celebrating. We can't change the past all we can
do is accept the present and try to improve the future.
Australia brings communities together. It brings people
together and it celebrates the good this country has
provided. Changing the date of Australia Day won't change our
past. But if people want it changed - why not wait until
we become a Republic. Now that would make sense and be worth
celebrating.

Some have suggested we celebrate April 25th as our National Day. But it hardly seems appropriate to have our national Day on the date a bunch of Pommy Generals ordered Australia to launch an ill-fated invasion of Turkey in 1915. Besides we couldn't do it on our own we had to drag the New Zealanders along with us, other wise it would just be AAC Day now.