Politics

Coalition MPs join in push for Australia Day date to be protected by law

Jan 24, 2019

Barnaby Joyce and Peter Dutton have both backed Dean Smith's (centre) proposal. Source: Getty.

A group of conservative Coalition MPs have joined forces to support a push for January 26 to be legally protected as the date of Australia Day.

WA Liberal Senator Dean Smith has made a powerful plea for a private member’s bill to be passed to protect the date by law, in a first-person piece for the Australian — insisting that the national flag and ANZAC Day already receive that protection so Australia Day should as well.

While he insisted that Australia Day lies alongside the flag and ANZAC Day as “one of Australia’s most cherished symbols of nationhood”, he added: “Unlike the other two icons, Australia Day remains unprotected and could easily fall victim to the whims of a political party or special interest lobby group interested in political point-scoring rather than celebrating the virtues of a contemporary and forward-looking Australia.”

He hopes the bill, if passed, would ensure January 26 remains legally Australia Day and the only way it could ever be changed would be through a national vote.

“A law to protect Australia Day will give Australians peace of mind that their national day will survive attempts from a very small and vocal minority that seeks to create division where there is unity, for political gain,” he added.

According to the news outlet, his push has since been supported by a number of Coalition MPs including Peter Dutton, Barnaby Joyce, Craig Kelly, Michelle Landry and Jason Wood.

Sure enough, appearing on radio station 2GB with presenter Ray Hadley on Thursday, Dutton said he had “no problem” with the proposal.

“Australia Day is a celebration for all of us. There are 16,000 people from about 150 different countries who will become Australian citizens on the 26th,” he said on the show. “It is a significant date for Australians. It doesn’t mean that we need to neglect the indigenous history of our country. We celebrate that.

“But Australia Day is a significant national day for our country. People come to our country to flee violence, to have their kids educated, to grow up in a civil society like ours and we shouldn’t be afraid to celebrate it.”

According to a recent poll commissioned by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), the majority of Aussies believe Australia Day should continue to be celebrated on January 26.

The polling, conducted by Research Now, showed 75 per cent of Aussies want to keep the existing date, while just 10 per cent of the 1,000 people surveyed think the date should be changed.

“Only 8 per cent of young people between the ages of 18 to 24 say Australia Day should not be celebrated on January 26. Which proves that despite the media and political left narrative, young people are not drawn to the divisive argument of opposing our national day,” Bella d’Abrera, Director of the Foundations of Western Civilisation Program at IPA, said.

“January 26 marks the foundation of modern Australia and it should to be celebrated by all Australians. Rather than being ashamed of it, we should be proud of it.”

The public holiday is a topic of regular debate as many people question whether it is right to celebrate the occasion, with some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people instead referring to the day as Invasion Day, marking the invasion by British settlers of lands already owned.

And not everyone agrees with it remaining on January 26, as newly appointed Today presenter Brooke Boney sparked a fiery debate during her first week in the hot seat as she claimed she won’t be celebrating like many other Aussies due to her heritage.

While she explained that she loves her country and would happily run around with an Australian flag any other day of the year, that particular date is not a day of pride or happiness for her family.

“I’m part of that community. I’m a Gamilaroi woman, my family’s from northern New South Wales, been there for about 60,000 years or so,” she told her fellow presenters.

"This is the best country in the world no doubt. But I can't separate the 26th of January from the fact that my brothers are more likely to go to jail than they are to go to school" says @BoneyBrooke, a proud Gamilaroi woman. #9Today pic.twitter.com/fJRzobPeTG

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) January 16, 2019

Boney said while she isn’t going to go around telling anyone else what they should or shouldn’t do on Australia Day, she is a firm believer that the date should be changed to respect all Australians.

“I’m the oldest of six kids, (with a) single mum. I get to sit on the Today show to talk to you guys about this. I get to travel the world with the prime minister and ask him questions about issues. This is the best country in the world, no doubt,” she explained. “But I can’t separate January 26 from the fact that my brothers are more likely to go to jail than school, or that my little sisters and my mum are more likely to be beaten or raped than anyone else’s sisters or mums. And that started from that day.

“For me it is a difficult day and I don’t want to celebrate it. Any other day of the year I will tie an Australian flag around my neck and run through the streets.”