Allow me to take you through a significant and important moment, one that represents us collectively as a community. Picture a day where the air is filled with happiness as families gather around to celebrate. This is not just a normal day, it is a day that means a lot to many people, a day that symbolises us as Australians. However, beyond all the happiness of this day lies a complex issue that has been debated, the issue is whether or not Australia Day should be changed. My name is Siddu and I’m here to explain why Australia Day should not be changed. Australia Day is an annual celebration that marks the arrival of the First Fleet, a long source of disagreement between people. While it does stand as a day for celebration, it is also a day of mourning and sadness for the Indigenous Community, who perceive this day as the start of pain and loss. As we do gather around to celebrate this day, we must also understand and respect …show more content…
The Australian Reconciliation Barometer (ARB) sheds some light on the concerning reality that is faced in Australia. Indigenous Australians feel excluded and marginalised from the Australia Day celebration. To add on to this data, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has revealed that there are persistent socioeconomic conflicts between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians. These conflicts not only ruin the celebrations, but serve as a stark reminder of the historical injustices that continue to reverberate through younger generations. The Australian Human Rights Commission has also reported an alarming rise in racial discrimination and abuse during Australia Day, particularly targeting the Indigenous Community. This not only continues to worsen the historical trauma, but also stops us from uniting as a nation. The harsh truth is as much as Australia Day is supposed to unite us, it has become a source of division and
The 2014 Walkley Award winning documentary, "Cronulla Riots: the day that shocked the nation" reveals to us a whole new side of Aussie culture. No more she’ll be right, no more fair go and sadly no more fair dinkum. The doco proved to all of us (or is it just me?) that the Australian identity isn’t really what we believe it to be. After viewing this documentary
I personally believe that Australia day should NOT be changed as, Australia Day is the official sthe arrival of the First Fleet of the 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788. However Australia Day for many Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people see as a day of sorrow and grieving.
However, what the Turnball supporters fail to recognise is that the days motives cannot be effectively celebrated by our first inhabitants on a date that coincides with pure heart ache. Hence, we need a day that still embodies these motives, however falls on a date that is also connected to this sense of unity we all desire. The first suggestion is a date that has recently appeared in the news, wattle day. The golden wattle is a symbol that has welcomed all of us over its 30 million year history, and also carries the colours that we have effectively branded as our own…the green and gold. Hence, wattle day can effectively celebrate our land, our people and of course our nation, therefore solving the conflict and sadness that surrounds our current date. Another alternative could be federation day, the day that our 6 British self-governing colonies united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Maybe even the day that the White Australia Policy was created….a day that abolished all forms of racism in our country and also embraced diversity. Finally, the day that the Australia Act was formed, a day that terminated the British control of Australian legislature. It is true, as some argue, alternative dates will have their faults and draw criticism, however that is no reason not to consider new dates. Whatever criticism there is of the alternatives they will not attract the criticism of being based on race. The difference between these days and our current date is not in the values they celebrate, but rather the context of the values. The 26th of January is a date that coincides with the beginning of Aboriginal mistreatment, an embarrassing day for us as a nation. These supposed dates all celebrate events that have a positive connotation with our country and all of our
The Australian flag was chosen in 1901, when a competition was held to design our country’s flag. The guidelines of this competition included that the Union Jack and Southern Cross should appear on the flag. However, I believe that in the year 2001, the Australian flag needs to be changed. During the course of this essay, I will show that the Australian flag does not represent all Australians, in particular, Aboriginal Australians and that the symbols on our flag are no longer relevant and are not unique to Australia. I will also show that the present flag is not instantly recognisable and is too similar to flags of other countries.
Why should we celebrate the day where the war that killed over 8,000 soldiers began. Anzac day is useless, disgraceful and should not be celebrated. In the beginning of the Anzac day celebrations, the day was about commemoration soldiers who fought and died in the wars. Over years the event has turned into a selfish celebration to demonstrate nationalistic spirit, qualities and Australian identity. Because of the loss of understanding in Anzac day it is becoming a meaningless event. Many children from the newer generations of children would not know what Anzac day is or why we have it. World War 1 was brutal and the soldiers were living in terrible living conditions that caused many deaths because of quickly spread disease. We should not be celebrating the death of so many soldiers. ”The cultification of an imperialist invasion of a foreign nation that Australia had no quarrel with is against all deals of modern society” Said Scott McIntyre. This line quoted from Scott McIntyre outlines one of many people’s beliefs that the war goes completely against what us Australians are supposed to demonstrate in our everyday lives. As Australians we should be demonstrating qualities of respect, kindness and respect for one another, not only within Australia but towards people from other parts of the world rather than what we have done, fought in a war with another country for no logical reason and to come out of the war with no winner and carelessly murder thousands of innocent soldiers from all over the world. Anzac day isn’t only pointless but it is embarrassing and unfair. When celebrating Anzac day, we are celebrating the day the beginning of the war Australia lost began. It is not only unfair on the soldiers who have died, it is unfair for the families of these helpless soldiers to have to celebrate the death date of their loved ones every
In its broadest sense ‘Reconciliation’ is the Australian term that refers to the unity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. To support reconciliation means working to overcome the separation and inequality between all Australians (Australia, n.d.). In 1992, then Prime Minister Paul Keating, delivered the Redfern Park speech that publically acknowledged European soldiers were responsible for many crimes against Indigenous communities, "We committed the murders. We took the children from their mothers. We practiced discrimination and exclusion. It was our ignorance and our prejudice (Government, 1992)." Since 1993, Reconciliation Week is a national event that celebrates a positive and respectful relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. It enables all Australians to close the gaps, and to achieve a shared sense of fairness and justice. The ultimate goal of the week is to build a strong and trusting relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and other Australians, as a foundation for success and to enhance national wellbeing (Australia, n.d.). However, this advocacy for Indigenous rights and recognition was advanced be civil right activists in the 1950’s and 1960’s. One significant activist from this period and until her death in 1993 was Oodgeroo Noonuccal. Oodgeroo Noonuccal has significantly contributed to the civil rights of the Indigenous people in Australia due to her tireless campaigning to educate non-Indigenous Australians and enact political change that would not only recognize Indigenous Australian and Torres Strait Islander people within the census but further understand their rich and diverse culture. Noonuccal’s contribution can be seen through her significa...
This day is to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. In Source A, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had apologised publicly on behalf of what happened in the Stolen Generations and the Voting Rights in his speech. In Source A, Kevin Rudd had said “We reflect on their past mistreatment.”, this meant that Kevin Rudd was apologizing for what past White Australians had done.Aboriginal People had accepted the apology Mr. Rudd had given the Aboriginals. The Aboriginals have lived out the 5th Beatitude of “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Aboriginals had lived out this Commandment because they showed mercy and accepted the apology of Kevin Rudd. This is how Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islanders had lived out the Beatitudes throughout their
Since the time of federation the Aboriginal people have been fighting for their rights through protests, strikes and the notorious ‘day of mourning’. However, over the last century the Australian federal government has generated policies which manage and restrained that of the Aboriginal people’s rights, citizenships and general protection. The Australian government policy that has had the most significant impact on indigenous Australians is the assimilation policy. The reasons behind this include the influences that the stolen generation has had on the indigenous Australians, their relegated rights and their entitlement to vote and the impact that the policy has had on the indigenous people of Australia.
April 25 holds an almost revered and solemn place in society and has become one of few, if not only, nationally unifying event on the Australian calendar (Inglis, 1998 p.429). The day itself is a celebration of one of the few common heritages shared most Australians. Contradictory to Anderson’s definition of Australian National Identity (1983, p.5) in that there is no real physical unifying theme in concepts of national identity, the celebration of the sacrifice made during times of war and the stories which have survived the last 100 years could be considered a commonality amongst most Australians. In recent years commemorative services have been increasingly militarised, moving away from the traditional purpose of remembrance of fallen comrades and further into celebrations of triumph and comradery in war and conflict (McKenna, 2007). The notion of the commemoration of ANZAC Day being a central theme in Australian National Identity is further discussed by McKenna (2007) who states that the ANZAC Myth has become a central component in explanations of what it is to be Australian. The celebration of ANZAC Day is a nationwide demonstration of the prevalence of images and stories of war and conflict in constructions of National
Australia Day is a national holiday that is observed once a year on the 26th of January. It is observed because on January 26, 1788, the first fleet landed at Sydney Cove, and Sir Arthur Phillip raised the Union Jack there. Because of this, many first- Nations people find Australia Day a mournful day for them. As with others, many Australians simply do not care what day it is because it is “just a holiday,” and they do not understand the historical significance of the date. Changing the date will not only promote inclusiveness, but it will also foster national unity.
The Aboriginal flag is a profound emblem of Australia's Indigenous heritage, symbolizing the unity, resilience, and identity of Aboriginal people. Its significance extends beyond mere colors, embodying the spiritual connection to the land, the struggles endured, and the pride of the oldest living culture on earth. As migrants, embracing and respecting the Aboriginal flag is an essential step towards fostering an inclusive, harmonious, and respectful multicultural society. It is not just about acknowledging the past; it's about building a shared future grounded in mutual respect and understanding. Respecting the Aboriginal flag goes beyond mere symbolism; it is an acknowledgment of the rightful custodians of the land upon which we now live.
However some Indigenous Australians believe this should be a day of sadness as it marks the start of what ends up with many lives lost and all land taken. “My family felt direct consequences of foreigners invading our land. My great-great grandfather who survived a massacre and was forced back to the mission after his father died and wasn’t allowed to own land.”
The major criticism of Anzac Day today is the relevance of it to current day citizens of Australia, such as women and members from other cultures. This is as an increasing number of veteran and veteran’s children who were strongly effected by war begin to die out it creates loss of importance. As well as that the Anzac legend originally heavily excluded members who are now major parts of current day society such as woman and
This topic is one of the the events that had the most impact in Australians history in the last 60 years. And also is a lasting impact that their country still now. In this article the author explains what there fighting for exactly and he says “ Reconciliation Australia acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”. this quote shows that the people of Australia are fighting for people who were first there and there trying to get them the respect they deserve for building the base of their country.
Whilst the annual presence of Anzac Day in Australian culture is evident, the degree to which its commemoration contributes to the formation of Australia’s national identity is a further intricate issue that has consequently been the topic of considerable scholarly debate. Crabb denotes that ‘the pursuit of national identity requires an emphasis on the features of an Australian “narrative” (1985, p.19). However, in the present time in which we live, a diverse range of nationalities, experiences and cultures, shapes Australian society thus complicating the concept of one common identity.