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cmtoo 12-Jan-20, 22:06 |
 Australia DayWhen the flames finally subside, we must set aside a day where we commemorate what has happened these past few months. In the midst of all the loss and destruction, I find it hard to see this day as a celebration, but there are things that have given me hope and make me feel proud to be Australian. And in a time when it is so easy to be divided, I feel we must find common ground where possible. On this day, we will celebrate our firefighters. These are our new national heroes who truly embody the often talked about, but rarely defined, “Australian spirit”. Bravery, resilience, selflessness. All that we can hope to be has been on display by our firefighters throughout this crisis. Forgoing sleep, pay and time with their loved ones over the festive season, these men and women have put themselves in danger day after day to protect the lives of others. Some have sadly paid the ultimate price for their service, and we should never forget the sacrifice they have made. On this day, we will celebrate mateship. It can be used glibly, that word, mateship. Some Australians carry on as if we invented the concept. We didn't. Plenty of other nations cherish it, if by another name. But Australians do value mateship and the fire crisis has reminded us of its true value. Cutting through the political debate surrounding climate change and in the void left by so many of our leaders, we have seen a force of collective action emerge. There are businesses donating profits, athletes auctioning of their most prized possessions and musicians holding benefit concerts. The generosity of Australians to give whatever they can to those who have had their lives upended has provided a light during these dark times. In so many ways, we are not the same Australia as we were before the flames. In our anthem we sing of a land with golden soil that abounds in nature’s gifts of beauty rich and rare. Yet now these words come on a land of blackened ash and the rich beauty is increasingly rare because so much of it has been stripped bare. And as people we have changed, too. Many of us now hold new views about climate change. A day to commemorate the bushfire crisis would be a day that recognised this change. And in celebrating the bravery and comradery we have seen these past few months, it would be a day to be proudly Australian. Perhaps it is not a stretch to imagine that such a day should be our national day. Kevin Rudd, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison have all said during their time as prime minister that Australia Day should be a uniting day. Yet they all defended that day being on a date when there is so much heartache and division. I’ve had many conversations with Indigenous friends who simply refer to it as “Invasion Day”. For them, January 26 marks the start of a terrible passage that we are still seeing the effects of today. How can we sing “Australians all let us rejoice” if we choose to omit one half of the narrative while we celebrate the other. In the wake of these fires we can forge a more united identity. Each year, as we turn our attention to the land that has been decimated by flames, we will be given an opportunity to acknowledge whose land it truly is, and whose land it has always been. I’ve read many commentaries, iterations of “it’s just a date”. In a sense, yes, it is just a date. A symbolic date that can’t undo the parts of our history we wish to change. But in another way, it is more than just a date because it’s a national day. A day which we determine means more than any other. Or, if we don’t, then what is the point of having it? With each poll that comes up around Australia Day, a different consensus of support is revealed. In lieu of this I call on my own personal experiences: drunkenly throwing down drinks with mates dressed in Union Jack paraphernalia, not once did any of us pause and charge our glass exclaiming: “Cheers, Governor Arthur Phillip.” One time, however, I had a friend make a point of thanking Captain Cook, showcasing just how detached we are from this day. We have Australia Day because we want to celebrate what it means to be Australian, yet we do it around an event that doesn’t capture who we are. How can we possibly be proud of a national identity if this is the case? These fires may be tearing us apart in a lot of ways but they provide us with the moment we need to stitch ourselves together. In the aftermath of the flames, I hope that a new day is born in the image of those who have stood tall when needed most. This day will represent all that Australia is and all that we hope to be. Perhaps this should be our new Australia Day. From The Age - Brandon Jack is a Sydney writer. |
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cmtoo 15-Jan-20, 21:15 |
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cmtoo 25-Jan-20, 09:55 |
Not when, it's how: Ken Wyatt says Australia Day about truth-telling In an exclusive interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Mr Wyatt said Australia's "dark beginnings" must be recognised in communities across the country but not overshadow celebrations of the "remarkable" multicultural country it has become. Strongly supporting the date of the national day remaining as it is, Mr Wyatt said Australia's history was marked with events "that none of us on reflection like". "We can have anger at the past, the pain and the hurt ... but at some point we've got to give our children a better future," Mr Wyatt said. "It's not about [Captain Arthur] Phillip landing in Sydney. It's about the way we've grown firstly into a federation, but ... a country of incredible people. "The colour of our skin did matter once, but it doesn't anymore. It's about a society that has many hues of colour." Cautious about engaging in the culture war that has increasingly plagued the occasion, Mr Wyatt said the day was an opportunity for Australians of all backgrounds to bond as a nation but also acknowledge that many First Nations people found it difficult. From The Age |