Australia Day the Right Day?

 At this time of year in this big brown land of ours a national debate about Australia Day is rekindled. You know the thing- is it the right day celebrate the birth of our nation or are their other dates that better represents the essence of what it is to be Australian? Well let’s have a look at Australia Day and some of the alternatives.

Australia Day

On this day 225 years ago a bunch of scurvy ridden, flea bitten and over sexed convicts under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip laid anchor at Sydney Cove and hoisted the British flag, declaring British sovereignty of the east coast of New Holland. Thus we have the birth of "Australia".

While this may have been good news for the first settlers, having arrived in paradise and all soon after their King George III had recently got his arse handed to him in the American War of Independence, it wasn’t such great news for the mob that had been inhabiting “New Holland” for the previous 60,000 years.

Thus for the past 80 years or so Australia Day has usually been marred in controversy as the Aboriginal community and an increasingly larger slice of the broader community recognise 26 January as Survival Day or Invasion day.

Should we recognise 26 January as Australia Day? Hmmm..nah, surely there’s a better day, one that’s less divisive.

Federation

On the 1st of January 1901, it was proclaimed, some some 123 years after the founding of New Holland, that the six self governing British colonies that covered the continental land mass of Australia would unify to form The Commonwealth of Australia. Even though the  Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (UK) was passed in the House of Commons and given Royal Assent some six months earlier. With these proclamations the Colonies became states and all within them became citizens of Australia…well almost everyone.

There was only one slight problem with the Australian Constitution drafted over several painstaking years by Australia’s constitutional fathers, it was racist! It is quitely uttered in defence of the Constitution that it was merely a document of its time and that any racist undertones, ie the exclusion of Aborigines as having the right to be Australian citizens, was born out of the ignorance of the period. Nah it was racist plain and simple and just to make sure you couldn’t mess with their master work, the nation’s father made very sure that it would be very difficult to change and it wasn’t until 1967 that Aboriginal people were recognised  as Australian citizens.

So should we celebrate Federation as Australia Day? Nah, plus January the 1st is already a public holiday, what would be the point of that?

Commemoration of the 1967 Referendum

The sixties were a decade of cultural revolution. Across much of the world a liberation in sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll was defining a generation of baby boomers. Here in Australia, while we recognised Aztecs thanks to Billy Thorpe, it wasn’t until 1967 that Australia discovered that were a  race of people known as Aborigine’s that had been here for some time and refused to go away.

On 27 May 1967 with a vote in favour of 90.77% Australians decided it was time to recognise Aboriginal people as their fellow Australians. This was indeed a momentous occasion and came after generations of campaigning from Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal warriors alike.

The victory was a clear sign that Australia had matured as a nation and was looking to move beyond the White Australia policies of…hang on.  One of the first acts passed in the new Australian Parliament of 1901 was the Immigration Restriction Act. In short the act formed the basis of a conglomeration of policies that became know as the White Australia policy that as the name suggests forbid the immigration or greatly restricted the immigration of  ‘non-white’ immigrants to Australia.

The policies were strengthened up until the second world war and then gradually relaxed there after. However it wasn’t until the legislation of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 that made the use of racial criteria for any official purpose illegal. So in 1967 while Australians decided to recognise the first Australians, government policy was still pretty iffy about letting non-whites into the country.

Should the commemoration of the 1967 Referendum be recognised as Australia Day? Nah, there’s still more work to be done on the Constitution and plus it’s too close to the Queen’s Birthday!

Hmmm what other days can we contemplate?  Anzac Day?

Anzac Day

Nah it’s Anzac Day! The day many brave young Australian and New Zealand men and even more British men gave their lives to make Turkey British. Maybe that’s a bit flippant, it was the first time that servicemen from around the country had served as Australian Armed Forces in a theatre of battle and it is said to have gone along way to defining the nation’s character or at least our character as perceived by foreigners.

Should Anzac Day be Australia Day? Nope, it’s an important day unto itself. Leave it be.

Bloody hell I’m running out of suggestions and smart arse wise cracks. When was Don Bradman born? When’s Shane Warne’s birthday? Nah neither of those would work, NSW wouldn’t be happy with Warne’s birthday signifying Australia Day, he’s Victorian for Pete’s sake!

Here’s an idea. Maybe, just maybe, if we amend the preamble to the Constitution to recognise the First Australian’s and in the same referendum pose the republican question again and both receive a majority of votes in a majority of states then that would be an historic day and one worth celebrating or even marking as Australia Day.

However could we do  it on the proviso that the referendum is held in the second half of the year? After the Queen’s Birthday, public holidays are pretty scarce in this big brown, wide, large, huge land of ours. Let’s say September/October? The weather’s on the improve and it’s around the time of the footy finals and a number of cultural festivals. Just a thought.

Originally posted at www.danieljames.com.au

Comments

[Jason B King]

The following is an extact from The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay
by Arthur Phillip - London Printed for John Stockdale, Piccadilly
1789

FIRST Fleet actually had land fall on 18th JAN 1788 in Botany Bay - 26th Jan is when then had land fall of Port Jackson......

Or in reality April 29th 1770 when James Cook first landed in Botany Bay

18 January 1788

At the very first landing of Governor Phillip on the shore of Botany Bay,
an interview with the natives took place. They were all armed, but on
seeing the Governor approach with signs of friendship, alone and unarmed,
they readily returned his confidence by laying down their weapons. They
were perfectly devoid of cloathing, yet seemed fond of ornaments, putting
the beads and red baize that were given them, on their heads or necks,
and appearing pleased to wear them. The presents offered by their new
visitors were all readily accepted, nor did any kind of disagreement
arise while the ships remained in Botany Bay. This very pleasing effect
was produced in no small degree by the personal address, as well as by
the great care and attention of the Governor. Nor were the orders which
enforced a conduct so humane, more honourable to the persons from whom
they originated, than the punctual execution of them was to the officers
sent out: it was evident that their wishes coincided with their duty; and
that a sanguinary temper was no longer to disgrace the European settlers
in countries newly discovered.

The next care after landing was the examination of the bay itself, from
which it appeared that, though extensive, it did not afford a shelter
from the easterly winds: and that, in consequence of its shallowness,
ships even of a moderate draught, would always be obliged to anchor with
the entrance of the bay open, where they must be exposed to a heavy sea,
that rolls in whenever it blows hard from the eastward.

Several runs of fresh water were found in different parts of the bay, but
there did not appear to be any situation to which there was not some very
strong objection. In the northern part of it is a small creek, which runs
a considerable way into the country, but it has water only for a boat,
the sides of it are frequently overflowed, and the low lands near it are
a perfect swamp. The western branch of the bay is continued to a great
extent, but the officers sent to examine it could not find there any
supply of fresh water, except in very small drains.

Point Sutherland offered the most eligible situation, having a run of
good water, though not in very great abundance. But to this part of the
harbour the ships could not approach, and the ground near it, even in the
higher parts, was in general damp and spungy. Smaller numbers might
indeed in several spots have found a comfortable residence, but no place
was found in the whole circuit of Botany Bay which seemed at all
calculated for the reception of so large a settlement. While this
examination was carried on, the whole fleet had arrived. The Supply had
not so much outsailed the other ships as to give Governor Phillip the
advantage he had expected in point of time. On the 19th of January, the
Alexander, Scarborough, and Friendship, cast anchor in Botany Bay; and on
the 20th, the Sirius, with the remainder of the convoy*. These ships had
all continued very healthy; they had not, however, yet arrived at their
final station.

[* The annexed view of Botany Bay, represents the Supply, etc. at anchor,
and the Sirius with her convoy coming into the bay.]

The openness of this bay, and the dampness of the soil, by which the
people would probably be rendered unhealthy, had already determined the
Governor to seek another situation. He resolved, therefore, to examine
Port Jackson, a bay mentioned by Captain Cook as immediately to the north
of this. There he hoped to find, not only a better harbour, but a fitter
place for the establishment of his new government. But that no time might
be lost, in case of a disappointment in these particulars, the ground
near Point Sutherland was ordered immediately to be cleared, and
preparations to be made for landing, under the direction of the
Lieutenant Governor.

These arrangements having been settled, Governor Phillip prepared to
proceed to the examination of Port Jackson: and as the time of his
absence, had he gone in the Supply, must have been very uncertain,
he went round with three boats; taking with him Captain Hunter
and several other officers, that by examining several parts of the
harbour at once the greater dispatch might be made.