Comments on: Black promises are little white lies

By: arty

arty — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Given some of the behaviour in Sydney on Monday, we might rename 26 January "Racist Day".

Indigenous people are not the only people to question 26 January as Australia Day. Some think Australia started on 1 January 1901. In some states, 26 January is regarded as "First Fleet Day, of "NSW Foundation Day".

Discussion can continue.

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Never liked Australia Day, with it’s populist nationalism, public drunkeness and it’s blinkered arrogance at the rub-your-noses-in-it approach to aboriginal conciliation. Now Kowardly Kev’s NO has done for Labour Party policy what Oi,Oi,Oi, has done for national pride. Well OK, Kevin, no more conversation - we are sorry Australians indeed, and we vote.

By: Tom McLoughlin

Tom McLoughlin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

That's an unhealthy reaction to real democracy there from the official ALP machine. Unlike the 2020 fix(ture) an unguided debate could generate 'unexpected consequences'. Why couldn't Rudd just say we are not of a mind to change it, we note most people polled don't want to change it, but with all things in life if a friendly debate generates a change in sentiment, we'll look at it again. Now that's very safe, and democratic.

Big Kev might want to get the DVD of '12 Angry Men' out again and watch those numbers change.

That's the Peter Andren approach. The guy who took his constituents with him with genuine discussion.

Another diplomatic way to look at might be that it be kept the same day but it be renamed, as First Australians Day. (After all its the day the 'baby' Anglo Saxon civilsation of a few hundred or thousand years met their elders, the First Australians, of 40,000 plus years, longest continuous mob on the planet.

And the First Aussies could go through a ritual of inviting The Second Australians 'as long as they behaved better than those earlier blokes in Olden Times'.

Anyway it's a joke and a bit of fraud to say Australia started on 26 January, it was always a British colony back then. It's plain historical revisionism to say it was even thought of as a new country Australia. It would be more accurate to call it Colony Day.

By: Ada

Ada — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Don’t know about changing the date of Australia Day, but wasn’t the election mentioned in the first par … in 2007?

By: Dom

Dom — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Complaining about other people’s spelling cheapens your own argument. It’s just a comment on the internet, and a true statement is no less true if it’s spelt badly. Also, there’s always the possibility it’s a typo, not a spelling mistake. Forgive those of us with fat fingers, or using a mobile device.

Having said that, I agree with your points.

By: Jared

Jared — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Debate about renaming or moving Australia day is kind of pointless until we make a move on becoming a republic.

By: melissa

melissa — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

It’s a shame, but Australia is a really politically immature nation, in my relatively short lifetime I haven’t seen a sensible national debate about anything, thanks mainly to our reactionary media and opportunistic politicians.

The sad thing is that I expected a slightly more mature response to the “national conversation” from Rudd. But I guess if this debate wasn’t shut down quickly then every right wing radio jock would be whipping up a storm amongst there gullible and ignorant listeners (who also happen to vote).