TODAY Show host Karl Stefanovic has put his weight behind calls to move Australia Day from January 26 to respect the wishes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
In a monologue on Wednesday morning’s show, the Channel 9 morning host admitted he hadn’t always been a part of the camp that were passionately pushing for the day to celebrated on a different date, but argued he has now “changed his mind”.
“Having spoken to several people from those communities, I empathise as hard as some want to ignore it,” he said. “January 26 marks a day this land changed forever for one of the oldest and most beautiful cultures in the world. To this day, mortality rates for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders are alarming. It wasn’t until March 1962 that the Menzies government finally gave the right to vote for all Aboriginal people.”
Stefanovic's plea comes after a Melbourne council voted to stop referring to January 26 as Australia Day. Yarra City councillors voted on Tuesday night to not hold any citizenship ceremonies on that date from next year and to "Refer to Australia Day as "January 26" until another "more appropriate" term is adopted nationally".
Stefanovic suggests moving Australia Day to the the first of January, to “combine New Year's with another party”.
"If we are to truly follow through with the apology and move forward together hand in hand, arm in arm, then I believe it must change.
"Let's do it together. Certainly, let's debate it together. On a lighter note, the 26th is a rubbish day for a party anyway. Whoever had a party on the 26th of anything?"
What do you think? Do you agree with Karl?
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I agree- move the date. In my town th day was very subdued with most people avoiding celebrations anyway.
Celebrating a day that marks an invasion as a celebration is insensitive considering the disease, genocide and atrocious behaviour that followed.
Good on ya, Karl. I use to be one of those people, too, who thought that everything should stay the same. But I realised how little respect that shows the traditional owners of this land and how can we ever become united when we celebrate Australia Day on the 26th of January, when that is really only one part of the history that is Australia, European colonisation is a very painful reminder to the indigenous in our country of the atrocities that the British committed on their people, and that we have a big, multicultural melting pot of people that are not part of that European colonisation. The only people I ever see disagreeing with a date change are those who cannot see our history for what it is and look at it through rose coloured glasses. Oh, and think that the Europeans were some sort of Enlightened race, when they were really just well armed barbarians with no idea of other cultures and used brutal force to take what they wanted.
I disagree about 1st of January, though. It's already a holiday and Federation was also the time of the White Australia Policy. Our racist roots do not need to be celebrated. I think 12th of February. A day that has no historical or political connotations and a day that we, as all Australians, can unite on, despite our differences.
3rd of March is a good date. It marks the Australia Act, where we formally cut legal powers from the UK.
The Australia Act 1986 "eliminated the remaining possibilities for the UK to legislate with effect in Australia, for the UK to be involved in Australian government, and for an appeal from any Australian court to a British court."
Great idea! I've been sitting here trying to think of an appropriate date, obviously the Constitution is the 1st Jan which wouldn't work. But that is a FANTASTIC suggestion.
I have to admit I was a bit blase about the whole date thing, my ancestors landed here on that day so for me, that's when my Australian heritage began. However, I realise that it is critical to the Indigenous that we recognise it for what it is to them - Invasion Day, and even though it doesn't affect me directly, I should acknowledge their pain and suffering and give them what they need and want. Similarly, I am very pro-SSM and it me makes me so upset when people are anti and it doesn't affect them directly, I think it is the same situation here. Let's acknowledge the date for what it is and move on, one step closer to equality for all.