Well, here's a very good reason to leave the date as it is.
Unknown to most people is the fact that 26th January is the anniversary date that Australian Citizenship came into being.
On 26th January, 1949, all Australians, including aboriginal people, changed from being British Subjects and became Australian Citizens.
That's why we have our citizenship ceremony on that date I presume.
It's a day to celebrate the fact that it's the anniversary of the day we all officially became Australians.

And who says that you don't learn something new on
this Forum? Just kidding.

Thank You Big Nana. I did not know about January 26th
being the date that we became Australians. What a
great reason to leave the date as it is.
Brilliant!

Anybody know why the 26th January date was chosen in 1949? If it was consciously linked to the arrival of the First Fleet the "Invasion Day" crowd would arc up, no doubt.

Lucerifase, regardless of why that date was chosen, nothing can change the fact that it was the birth of Australian Citizenship. For all. I don't know why that fact is not publicised, I only discovered it last night, but it certainly warrants notice because as Foxxy says, we celebrate being official Australians on that date.

Hi Luciferase,

The Australian Citizenship Act of 1948. [Maybe it was called something else]. Everybody born in Australia was thereby an Australian citizen, Black and White, male and female. Up until then, we were 'British subjects' only, (including Indigenous people) which we still were up until about 1986. It didn't mean we were British 'citizens', just subjects. Somebody on OLO might know the difference :)

Cheers,

Joe

I get all that, Loudy, but the if the Act's application date was linked to the coming of the First Fleet the "Invasion Day" crowd would remain feeling entitled to pursue the cause.

While I like the "citizenship" date, I don't care much as long as we're all on the same date in civic celebration, and that's determined at the national level. Greens' subterfuge in gaining power in local councils without revealing themselves, then taking activist actions that break with the nation, is conniving and irksome to me.