i got polled by reachtel last night! i always used to say that i don’t know anyone who has ever participated in a poll, well, not anymore.
The joke is that Australia Day was gazetted as the National day following pressure from the Australian Natives Association ( representing white Australian born) as an early anti-British republican movement. It used to be known as ANA Day.
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The commonwealth of Oz and or the federation did not exist but the the place was definitely called Australia before federation. The 26th date though is almost meaningless as they flitted from cove to bay to inlet etc all around that date and also, the date is totally meaningless when it comes to the West Australian settlements. I agree with you that the date should be the date of federation, Jan 1st. I find the gung ho zealots defending the 26th do not understand very much at all and as far as I am concerned they can all go and get nutted. There are some particularly pig headed onanists out there that are standing up for the status quo purely for racist reasons.
Last Friday of September = Australia Day
Done
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This is honestly the first I’ve heard of pre-Phillip non-indigenous settlements.
‘Discovery’, trade and botanical research, sure.
I lived very close to Dampier for a while.
Do you have a link for me to check out?
I’m genuinely interested.
Edit: Wait. Do you mean post-Phillip WA British settlements?
I hope not, because calling that [link] ‘totally meaningless’…that would be disappointing.
I do not understand ‘disappointing’ in this context. I mean both, although the pre era would more be "evidence, traces left, of non indigenous visitors. I can offer no link; a little research won’t kill you.
I did a little looking and came up empty, that’s why I asked.
Doesn’t matter, I guess.
If there are only evidence and traces, then it doesn’t sound like there’s a whole lot to be found.
And disappointing…perhaps that was too strong.
Confusing.
Are you suggesting Stirling has no relevance to Phillip?
I’d like to hear why you think that.
I think you’ll find it was the Australian Natives Association League bigallen.
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I assumed he meant Dutchmen like Hartog and Janszoon.
Sort of. People called themselves Australians, but Australia the nation did not exist. At least at the start of things. From the Australian War Memorial; “As part of the British Empire, the Australian colonies offered troops for the war in South Africa. Australians served in contingents raised by the six colonies or, from 1901, by the new Australian Commonwealth.”
And the VFL? I just have to assume you are attempting to take the pisss somehow.
Yes, I’m aware that a lot of people living in Australia considered themselves British perhaps up until the Second World War.
And I’m aware that Australia wasn’t a nation until 1901.
And yet some things were certainly Australian, hence my point about the VFL (its inception and other leagues before it).
Not to mention things I’m about to mention like, you know, towns and cities.
On a side note, I’m curious about the suggestion of Federation Day as if that’s somehow inclusive of indigenous Australians.
Is it really?
I can’t speak for the indigenous population, (and personally I don’t want a public holiday on Federation Day because we’ve already got new years day there and I want my public hols spread over summer a bit more). But Federation day MIGHT at least be a bit more neutral from an indigenous point of view than Australia day, which is basically ‘Genocide Beginning Day’ from the point of view of indigenous culture.
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Yep. That’s pretty much how I see it.
Jan 1 is the date of the federation of the country named Australia. And that is what I thought we were meant to be celebrating. The present date commemorates England creating a penal colony. Why the fark would any of us, indigenous or not, want to celebrate that?
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Jan 1 sucks, but the actual constitution was passed some time in July. Make that the day.
EDIT: was given royal ascent on 9th July.
EDIT 2: first election was held 1st of March
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Ah, here’s the rub.
Because it’s not Genocide Beginning Day, is it.
Not in any literal sense.
No, it’s Europeans Settled Here day.
It’s ‘The British Landed and Started Building a Modern Society that became the Nation We Have Today Day.’
And we’re being told, ‘No you can’t celebrate that. Find some other day.’
Now, don’t get me wrong.
I don’t have a problem with Invasion Day.
In fact, I think it’s important.
But I think all of modern Australian History is, too.
Not just the last half of it.
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A commonly overlooked fact is that most of the ‘settlers’ who ‘arrived’ on the ‘26th of January’ were basically slaves, brought here against their will for relatively minor crimes brought about by economic and political injustice back in Mother England.
I really don’t think that’s overlooked.
These are inextricably linked.
Colonisation of an already-inhabited land, with zero regard for the inhabitants, was the first step to genocide. Ethnic cleansing started the day the First Fleet people cleared their first paddock and built their first building. Genocide started the first time a colonist shot at a native inhabitant for spearing a sheep.
If you want to COMMEMORATE the 26th January, fine. But right now it’s being CELEBRATED, which I think is one of the main problems. If 26th Jan was remembered with solemnity like 25 April is, perhaps it would be different. But it’s not.
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It is among people who think it is racist.
I have suggested your last par here before.
And yes, I agree that those things are inextricably linked, but they are not the day.
You might think that’s a minor point, but we are actually talking about the day here, so I think it matters.
Other things that are inextricably linked to that day in this country are, of course, everything.
That’s the point.
It’s a lie to pretend it’s not.
So I don’t like the ‘let’s pretend’ part of changing it.
There’s also something else about it that I find…weird.
And yes, I say this in the full knowledge that it sounds like something Hanson said recently.
But if you can’t celebrate the day Europeans arrived here…what does that say on a deeper level?