Why Changing the Date is Still a Good Thing
Hello good people,
This time last year I posted the Good Thing below and it seemed to hit on something that many others also considered to be a significant issue facing Australia.
And, while changing the date of Australia Day might be out of our civilian hands, what is within our grasp is the power to vote out the people who stand in the way. With this in mind, may this post be your rallying cry for change at this year’s Australian federal election.
Share it around,
Chris
If you're reading this newsletter the moment it arrives, as I assume everyone is, then you'll know it is the morning of January 26, which means it is also the day referred to as Australia Day.
But, if I'm honest, calling it Australia Day makes me, and many others in this country, feel more than a little uncomfortable. For those playing at home, January 26 was chosen as Australia’s national day because it is the day that the First Fleet, a group of 11 ships, their passengers convicts and soldiers, arrived in Australia from the United Kingdom. And, from a certain angle, specifically the angle of the soldiers and convicts, this day was the start of a new life. A day of celebration. Cool, right?
Well, not quite. Because this isn’t quite the whole story. See, when those ships arrived, they didn't disembark on a giant abandoned island, bereft of people, infrastructure, and tradition. Instead, they arrived on an island filled with people, Australia's indigenous people, who were subsequently driven from their homes and their lands, and many lost their lives. And January 26 was the day it all started.
Which leads to the pointy end. Because if we are to celebrate Australia Day, to celebrate how far we have come as a nation, then the idea of getting out the party hats on the day that marked the colonisation of an ancient civilisation, the desendents of which still live amongst us, is pretty damn offensive.
So, why does Australia still celebrate on January 26? Why do we lack the empathy to see how this date affects others? The reality is, we don’t. There is a lot of support for changing the date. And many, from the man on the street to our beloved sporting teams, have chosen to acknowledge January 26 not as Australia Day, but as just another day of the year. They're making a stand for change, and taking a stand with indigenous Australians.
Some problems are complicated. They need a lot of thought and time and preparation to solve. But changing the date is not one of them.
There are 365 days in a year, and only 15 of those are public holidays. That leaves 350 other possible days when Australia's unity and progress could be celebrated. Meaning there's no reason to hold a celebration for an entire country on a date that is not enjoyed by the entire country. There is no excuse not to change the date.
And that, is why Changing the Date is a very Good Thing.
It's time to change the date.
It could be any date. As long as it's changed.
If you can't change it through reason, democracy has an answer. More on that after the squiggle.
Vote #1, to change the date
So, you've tried to reason with the people in power. You've protested. You've made your voice heard and nothing has worked. It's January 26 again, and the politicians are still calling it Australia Day. What do you do next? What can you do?
One of the best ways to bring change is to make the changemakers, the politicians, fear for their jobs. To make them fear that if they don't support what their constituents want, then their constituents will elect someone who does. Once they realise that their careers might be on the line, we might just find they will see your point of view, or the unemployment line.
Your vote matters far more than you might think.