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Conservative politicians stoking Australia Day debate online with paid ads, analysis finds
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2024
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Every year without fail, there's all this noise about Jan 26th in the two weeks leading up to the date, then the conversation fizzles out again until next year. And then we do it again next year.
What even is the debate? Polls have repeatedly shown that while we absolutely want a day to celebrate the country, we aren't particularly attached to January 26th. There is no real significance to Australia for the date, it's the day the English arrived in Sydney. At best, it could be called "Sydney Day".
We can't have it on Foundation day, that's already a public holiday (yes, the holiday matters to us). Personally, I'd vote for a date in Winter. There's presently a big gap between June and September where we would welcome a public holiday. First Friday in August would work nicely. I like the idea of it always being a Friday because some people already have Mondays off and they miss most of the long long weekend bonuses.
I was thinking 9th of May to commemorate the first sitting of the Australian Parliament
But go a day earlier for m8
This is quite literally the only date that isn’t already a public holiday that I would argue against. It’s such a dumb basis for a holiday. I’d rather have a day chosen at random than be picked because of a bad pun.
While we’re at it, Star Wars Day is 25th May, the anniversary of the original film’s debut in theatres. It’s not "may the fourth be with you".
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Fair call I guess. I don't really care one way or another. But if you wanted to move the existing date rather than making a second it seems like a choice that might prove popular with people who don't want the date to move currently.
Agreed. I don't see how or why "we" are attached to the date. Australia Day was made an official public holiday in 1994, not that long ago in retrospect. So why not change it? (I know the various states and territories were celebrating the day before 1994, but still).
I'd be in favour of having Australia Day always on a Monday or Friday, guarantees a long weekend, and is there anything more Australian than celebrating on a long weekend?
Yes, Australia Week
I'm very happy for them to change the date, as long as they don't remove it altogether.
Public holidays give me something to look forward to when I'm feeling burnt out with work.
It should probably be kept in summer because Aussies love a BBQ, but personally I wouldn't mind winter as I love the cold.
I’ve got a few dates I came up with a few years ago around this time:
3 March as the day of commencement of the Australia Act (1986), which saw the last vestiges of Australia's status as a British dominion ended.
3 September as the day Australia adopted the Statute of Westminster with the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, which removed the United Kingdom's ability to legislate over the Commonwealth of Australia and making Australia truly a legally independent nation in a de jure sense.
9 July as the date the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 became law, enabling the constitution to actually take effect on 1 January 1901.