Australia Day - Suggested Changes To The Date

Suggested Changes To The Date

Both prior to the establishment of Australia Day as the national day of Australia, and in the years subsequent to its creation, several dates have been proposed for its celebration, and, at various times, the possibility of moving Australia Day to an alternative date has been mooted. While the reasons for such a move have been varied, concerns with the current arrangement have included:

• The current date, celebrating the foundation of the Colony of New South Wales, can be seen as lacking national significance.
• Australia Day falls during the school holidays, limiting the ability of schools to engage children in the event.
• The date can be perceived as being intrinsically connected to Australia's convict past, celebrating "Britain's driving ashore of Australia's first white citizens in chains".
• It fails to encompass all Australians, including members of the indigenous community and others who see it as commemorating the date of the invasion of their land. Connected to this is the suggestion that moving the date would be seen as a significant symbolic act.

Amongst those calling for change have been Tony Beddison, then chairman of the Australia Day Committee (Victoria), who argued for change and requested debate on the issue in 1999; and Mick Dodson, who was Australian of the Year in 2009, called for debate in regard to when Australia Day was held.