Changing the date won’t bring us
closer together
Satya Marar
January 17, 2019 8:00pm
It’s that wonderful time of year when a small yet vocal minority lectures the rest of us
about how our national day is offensive and not inclusive enough.
For most of us, 26 January is more likely to conjure up images of crisp lager, sizzling
lamb, summer sun and board shorts than history debates.
It may then be tempting to concede to the narrative of the “change the date” mob.
What harm could there be in moving the day to one which is less offensive, especially
to many indigenous Australians?
The problem lies in the implications. When you tell Australians that we cannot or
should not celebrate the beginnings of the society and culture we continue to enjoy
today, you’re telling us that our very existence and the successful, pluralistic,
prosperous and stable society that we’ve built are mistakes that all of us who are a
part of said society today, regardless of ancestry, should feel guilty about.
Because the arrival of Governor Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet preceded the
establishment of the first colony and marked the beginnings of the sociocultural
institutions we enjoy today — institutions which have made Australia what it is.
Our rule of law, civil liberties, liberal democracy, common English lingua franca,
common law legal system — these are at the root of the Australian success story.
They are precisely the reason why immigrants from around the world, including my
own family, have flocked here for centuries to build a better life.
Many of us celebrate it as the anniversary of our citizenship ceremonies. Even those
most ardently opposed to Australia Day benefit from the privilege of these
institutions. Is that something we shouldn’t celebrate? Or that we should even
regret?
The history of Australia is complex, but it shouldn’t be shied away from. Picture:
iStock
While it’s undeniable that the expansion of settlement across the country resulted in
the displacement of indigenous peoples, violent clashes and even atrocities, 26
January is not a celebration of any of these incidents, all of which we rightly
acknowledge and cover in our history curriculum.
Indeed, we are in the minority among nations who truly confront their history’s dark
chapters. Go to Japan and talk about the rape of Nanking or the human experiments
during the occupation of Manchuria which rivalled Auschwitz in their cruelty, or to
Turkey to talk about the Armenian Genocide. See how long you can go without
uncomfortable silence or, in the case of Turkey’s parliament, outright denial. Have a
look at their school curriculums and see how much of a mention these horrific events
get, decades after the fact.
Australia is in the even smaller minority of countries who substantively address these
issues through laws and policies. Take native title — an innovative product of
Australia’s British-based common law legal system with its emphasis on private
property rights. Traditional concepts of dominion and custodianship are translated
into an instrument that functions in a 21st century legal system.
Changing the date would be tantamount to something that no other country is
expected to do. Picture: iStock
Changing the date would be tantamount to something that no other country is
expected to do — undertake a divisive, self-flagellation exercise by accepting the
premise that our nation as it exists today is a mistake that should have never
happened. This line is being pushed by the same circles who want to make Australia
a republic and change our flag. The endgame is the rewriting of our history to suit
their own narrative, one which cares more for what divides us than what unites us.
Much more could be done for the reconciliation cause if the same resources poured
into superficially and divisively toying with national symbolism through postcolonial
guilt trips were instead invested in “closing the gap” in areas of indigenous health,
education and employment outcomes.
Celebrations of 26 January, and what it means, date as far back as 1808. Back then,
the freed convicts could have been forgiven for choosing the day as one of mourning.
After all, their lives were uprooted and they were exiled to the other side of the world
for the pettiest offences, arriving malnourished, abused and diseased on the same
ships that were used to move slaves to the Americas. Instead, they “celebrate[d] their
love of the land they lived in” with “drinking and merriment”- a tradition that
continues today in a successful powerhouse country that began as a glorified prison
camp, on a day cherished by Aussies of all ages, races, stripes and backgrounds.
Last year, I spent Australia Day eating a traditional sausage on my Serbian mate’s
balcony, grilled by my Indonesian friend and washed down with craft beer tinnies
produced by hipsters in Melbourne. It doesn’t get much more inclusive or Australian
than that.