Change the date of Australia Day.

[JW Frogen]

Australian of the Year, Mick Dodson wants to discuss changing the date of Australia Day as he states Aboriginals see it as a day their world collapsed and have been largely excluded from the day.

What do you think?

I would state that the majority of whites on those ships also knew tragedy on that day, they were imprisoned brutally, ripped from their families and thrown into very harsh conditions never to see their traditional home again.

All nations are born in suffering a blood; not only formal nation states but hunter gather nations too. (No hunter-gatherer group would leave the good and plenty of North Australia to the dry and unforgiving interior unless they were driven there by another group or exhaled from their own.)

The story of Australia Day is that from that brutal start grew one of the wealthiest, prosperous and now fair nations on the Earth. (Try being a Tibetan in China and see where a similar sort of discussion will get you.)

That is why I think the date should remain the same, from suffering was born a new nation with new opportunities, from many we are slowly becomming one. (Sort of like the Borg.)

Dam guud lamb chops too!

[Jovial Monk]

Whatever the date, a day to celebrate the founding of Australia will be 'invasion day' for the descendants of the original inhabitants.

More emphasis on the original inhabitants would be good.

[JW Frogen]

Perth has the largest Australia Day celebration in the nation.

One year Skyworks was themed on recognition of Aboriginal culture.

It did not matter writ large.

There is still a political and social reflex here to lament the fact that their culture and life as it was pre-Cook is long gone. Like almost every other hunter-gatherer society on Earth, theirs too is gone. It is not coming back no matter what day Australia day is celebrated.

Best to use the day to look forward to the opportunities that can be found in modern Australia and attempt to intigrate what Aboriginal cultural aspects have survived than lament a past gone forever.

Captain Cook is dead and we non indigenous Australians are not leaving.

[boxy]

The obvious choice for a celebration of the nations beginning would be January 1, Federation day. The first fleet landing wasn't the start of the independent nation that is Australia, it was the start of an English penal colony.

Too bad that most of us are too hung over on January 1 to bother celebrating anything much... let alone get enthusiastic about firing up the barby and charring some flesh!

[JW Frogen]

We allready get Jan 1 off.

It would be very un-Australia to give up a day off.

In fact I will comprimise and say Aboriginals can pick a day other than any present day off, declare it Original inhabitant day, or we were here first day, or say brodder pass the flagon day and gladly call for the entire nation to take it off and celebrate.

[boxy]

How magnanimous of you, Frog.



And I suspect that is indeed the main reason it has never been done.

Very short sighted of us to have the most important day in our history on New Years Day

[JW Frogen]

How magnanimous of you, Frog.



And I suspect that is indeed the main reason it has never been done.

Very short sighted of us to have the most important day in our history on New Years Day

That is a good point, everyone gets New Years Day off anyway.

We need to change the Federation date to Jan 2. Use the new concept of hyperdaylight savings or claim there was a rip in the space-time continum when Federation occured if need be so that we get both Jan 1 and the 2 off.

And live the glorious and successful invasion celebration right where it is.

[JW Frogen]

We can also have need a Wog Day not to be confused with Lebbo day.

We can put this in mid winter when we need a good break.

[TomB]

It would be very un-Australia to give up a day off.

Amen.

Having a national day is important but I really couldn't care when it is celebrated and if a significant portion of Australians are unhappy with a particular day then change it to something not offensive to anyone.

August 19 is a damn fine day.

[JW Frogen]

It would be very un-Australia to give up a day off.

Amen.

Having a national day is important but I really couldn't care when it is celebrated and if a significant portion of Australians are unhappy with a particular day then change it to something not offensive to anyone.

August 19 is a damn fine day.

A radio station I was listening to this morning suggested changing it to the day thongs were invented.