this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2024
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There's no point in having a day to unify the nation if the majority aren't on board or if it obviously excludes some groups.
There are a few dates around that should be of greater national significance (i.e. major legislation or a historic sitting of parliament). A good one would've been the day that Australians overwhelming voted yes in a referendum to recognise the first peoples of Australia, healing the wounds of the past. Unfortunately that didn't happen and won't happen probably for another 30 years
I would say do it on the day we became a nation, like every other country does. I can't remember the exact date but it's early January
@eatham @unionagainstdhmo Perhaps the date of proclamation could work as a national holiday?
"The Proclamation Declaring the Establishment of the Commonwealth was a royal proclamation made by Queen Victoria on 17 September 1900 federating the six separate British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia under the name of the Commonwealth of Australia."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclamation_Declaring_the_Establishment_of_the_Commonwealth_of_Australia#:~:text=The%20Proclamation%20Declaring%20the%20Establishment,of%20the%20Commonwealth%20of%20Australia.
Another option would be 3 March, when the Australia Act passed, which effectively ended British rule over Australia:
"The Australia Act ended all power of the UK Parliament to legislate with effect in Australia – that is, "as part of the law of" the Commonwealth, a state or a territory (s 1). Conversely, no future law of a state would be void for inconsistency with (being "repugnant to") any UK law applying with "paramount force" in Australia; a state (like the Commonwealth) would have power to repeal or amend such an existing UK law so far as it applied to the state (s 3). State laws would no longer be subject to disallowance and reservation by the monarch (s 8) – a power that, anomalously, remains for Commonwealth legislation (Constitution ss 59 and 60).[n 6]
...
"The Acts came into effect simultaneously, on 3 March 1986."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Act_1986
@ajsadauskas @eatham @unionagainstdhmo I think 9 May, when federal parliament first met in 1901. It's the right year, and more convenient than 1 Jan.
@timrichards @ajsadauskas @eatham @unionagainstdhmo isn't May problematic because of May/Labour Day in one of the states?
@timrichards @ajsadauskas @eatham @unionagainstdhmo yeah, Queensland and NT.
@skribe @ajsadauskas @eatham @unionagainstdhmo Could always be moved.
@timrichards @ajsadauskas @eatham @unionagainstdhmo
Yeah, I can just imagine that meeting:
PM: Thanks for coming at short notice-
Q: Where are the other states?
NT: And territories!
PM: What do you mean?
Q: It’s just Queensland and Northern Territory.
NT: The largest territory!
PM: Yeah. I was getting to that. As you know, we’re changing the date for Australia Day.
Q: We are?
PM: Yeah. 26th January is no longer popular. Some people are even calling it Invasion Day.
Q: Why?
PM: Um, something about Captain Cook. I don’t really know, but we’re changing the date. However, there’s a problem. You know how you both have public holidays in early May? We need you to change them.
Q: Why?
PM: Because we’ve decided to make Australia Day coincide with when Parliament first met.
Q: And?
PM: You probably don’t want two consecutive long weekends.
Q: It works for Chrissie and New Year.
PM: Yeah, but everyone is on holiday then anyway.
NT: When did Parliament first meet?
PM: 9th May.
NT: What year?
PM: 1901.
NT: But it’s 2024.
Q: So where do you want us to move them to?
PM: Early march seems popular.
NT: You want us to have May Day in March?
Q: Ok.
PM: Ok?
Q: We’ll do it. But we’re going to need some sweeteners.
PM: Sweeteners?
Q: We’re moving Labour Day. We’re a Labor government. You’re a Labor government. We’ve got to appeal to working people.
PM: What did you have in mind?
Q: AFL Grand Final.
PM: I’m sure we can arrange some-
Q: Every year.
PM: Queenslanders don’t even like AFL much.
Q: I feel that could get a real taste for it.
PM: The Gabba only holds, what, forty thousand people?
Q: Forty-two thousand, Prime Minister. But, I’m sure with some federal funding we could expand it to at least...a hundred thousand.
PM: A hundred thousand? The one and only time the Gabba hosted the AFL grand final you didn’t even draw thirty thousand.
Q: It was 2020. Those are COVID numbers. Plus in Queensland, we’re nothing if we’re not aspirational.
PM: Alright. The AFL Grand Final-
Q: And all three of the State of Origin matches.
PM: Come on-!
Q: And you know that deal that WA is getting with the GST? We want that too. And Ricky Ponting, he’s now a Queenslander and always has been.
PM: What about Boonie?
Q: Who?
PM: Was there anything else you want to steal? From South Australia maybe?
Q: They no longer have the F1, do they?
PM: Nope.
Q: Then, they’ve got nothing worth stealing.
PM: Northern Territory, what about you?
NT: We want to become a state.
PM: Good to he-
NT: With twelve senators, like the other states.
PM: Queensland, would you settle for hosting the Grand Final every second year?
And of course ACT has Reconciliation Day on the 27th May. Good luck moving that too.
#Comedy #Sketch #Australia
@timrichards @skribe @ajsadauskas @eatham @unionagainstdhmo I kinda like March 3; only moves it by about a week and is significant as noted here: https://theconversation.com/why-we-should-celebrate-australia-day-on-march-3-the-day-we-became-a-fully-independent-country-221015
@whybird @timrichards @ajsadauskas @eatham @unionagainstdhmo it's going to face the same issue as May 9th. It conflicts with state public holidays - Labour Day in both WA and Vic. I can't see either state agreeing to changing. Is there a federally significant date in July? That's mostly free and doesn't conflict with the footy finals.
@skribe @timrichards @ajsadauskas @eatham @unionagainstdhmo There’s this, but surely there might be something better: https://www.onthisday.com/date/1814/july/17
Edit: that would be less divisive that this one though: https://www.onthisday.com/date/1900/july/9
@whybird @skribe @ajsadauskas @eatham @unionagainstdhmo As someone said the other day - let's go for the existing Wattle Day on 1 September!
It could be argued that that leaves out Indigenous Australians. What about the 21st of May to mark Indigenous Australians being given the right to enrol to vote.
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/indigenous-australians-right-to-vote
That is, if we want a day that all Australians and can be proud of. Giving everyone a fair go.
Technically it's 01/01/1901