White Australia Day – or Multicultural Movement Day?
Sue Ellson | January 26, 2012
We have only been celebrating Australian Day on the actual date – 26 January – since 1994 when the public holiday was declared. The message of inclusiveness has stayed the same but Sue Ellson asks if it's time for an update.
Australia Day 2012 has enabled various initiatives to gain media coverage highlighting the issues faced by indigenous Australians and migrants.
The Aussie cynic in me would suggest that Australia Day is being treated as another occasion to trumpet out an old message and enable retailers to have additional products to sell (now Australian merchandise is put in the shops straight after Christmas, next we will have hot cross buns well ahead of Easter).
But, I am encouraged to see an Australian of the Year nominee share a message of multiculturalism and Indigenous Australians and professionals make recommendations for a change to our Constitution – an opportunity for recognition, reconciliation and respect.
When faced with change, particularly significant change that seems all too hard, we are tempted to simply pass over the story once again, put a referendum in the too hard basket and say that we have already spent enough money on saying ‘no’ to racism.
If the majority of Australians are still white Caucasians born and bred in Australia, that does not mean that we have the right to assume power over our fellow citizens. If we do believe that the lifestyle we have in Australia is worth preserving, then I believe we should make an effort to keep it but we also need to be mindful and respectful of our fellow citizens who are legally and morally entitled to live here.
As an example, I am a white Caucasian born and bred in Australia. As a child in my local culture in Adelaide, I learnt that Asians could never do anything as good as a white person, Asians consider themselves to be a superior race, that Greeks and Italians could never get married and I could never marry anyone with a skin colour darker than mine.
Unfortunately, I cannot remember HOW I learnt this. I am quite sure it was not part of the school curriculum. Despite this upbringing, and as a result of my experience of ‘migrating’ from Adelaide to Melbourne, I set up and run a network for newcomers of all backgrounds. Curiously, I still find it hard to fight these ingrained prejudices.
In 2010 I visited Europe and I found it completely uncivilised and I could not wait to return to Australia. Even more than before, I favour education, affirmative action and regulation to help us develop and grow into a progressive and cohesive society.
I would not want to lose the values of egalitarianism, mateship and volunteering. I would like to see all Australians reignite their commitment and passion for their country and their fellow man. Whilst respecting all faiths, let us enable Australians to strive for the greater good rather than their own selfish desires which have been stimulated by consumerism.
For now though, let us continue the dialogue, share the stories and implement the winning projects that change lives and societies. If the government is our collective nanny and moral arbiter now that the church has less of an influence on everyday society, let us ensure that it is well informed and supported, encouraged and assisted so that we can all continue to develop Australia as a first class country and community that sets the standard for the rest of the world.
Perhaps in the future we will be able to celebrate a ‘Multicultural Movement Day’. What has been happening in your neck of the woods that you are proud to talk about?
Sue Ellson BBus AIMM MAHRI CAR (REIV) is the Founder and Director of Newcomers Network (started in 1999), an independent provider of information, events and advocacy for newcomers and networkers in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. Sue is also the Convenor of the International Human Resources Network Victoria for the Australian Human Resources Institute and a regular feature writer for various publications.
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Sue Ellson is the Founder and Director of Newcomers Network, a socially responsible enterprise providing information, events and advocacy for newcomers and networkers in Camberwell, Melbourne, Victoria. She has published three books and can be found via LinkedIn or at SueEllson.com.
Pilchard
January 27, 2012 at 1:25 am
Australia Day
26 January has been the date for celebrating Australia Day since 1828 – the first holiday to mark 50 years of the British arrival. I don’t know where the 1994 date came from since it’s been a public holiday in most States of Australia since at least the 1930s.
Sue Ellson
January 29, 2012 at 3:22 am
Australia Day Date
Thanks for this Pilchard – the 1994 date was added by Open Forum and according to the Australia Day website, 1994 was when it became a public holiday for celebration http://www.australiaday.org.au/australia-day/history.aspx – thanks for your interesting statistics too – do you have any other comments?
Frau X
January 26, 2013 at 4:09 am
Happy Australia Day!
Let’s put aside politics and celebrate our beautiful country together by assigning the last Sunday of January to be "Australia Day" – a day for all of us to celebrate living in this great country – whatever our background or how recent it was since our "connections" arrived and started contributing to our society.
The last Sunday in January would keep our cherished January long weekend to spend with our families and /or communities, as we do on other highly regarded days on our calendar without a specific date – Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day. There would be no need for governments and schools to confirm public holidays and school starting dates when the 26th falls on an awkward day of the week – and importantly we could avoid those vexing discussions about connections to First Fleet by family heritage, British heritage or NSW residency. We can have important discussions about our values, history and future (flag, style of government, multiculturalism etc) at any time – and we should! May you enjoy your day and the long weekend, and spare a thought for our ‘brothers and sisters’ in Queensland and Tasmania who are currently enduring tough times. Take care!
Sue Ellson
January 28, 2013 at 11:38 pm
Australia Day on the last Sunday in January
Sounds like a very practical suggestion and would save a lot of juggling! Might be worth suggesting to your local member of parliament to see if it could be changed. Cheers, Sue Ellson