While some are gathering in pubs and watching fireworks this Thursday, Indigenous mother and influencer Fallon Gregory is one of many calling for Australia Day to be scrapped.
Kija and Baldi women told Yahoo News Australia they “didn’t see how people found patriotism” on a day when the majority of Australians “celebrate with fireworks and alcohol every year” rice field.
A national holiday on January 26 marks the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788, but the controversial date also marks the beginning of Australian Indigenous colonization.
“Indigenous remembrance began with the arrival of the first settlements and the first fleets, and it affected our people, our lands, and our cultures with massive genocide, confiscation, theft, loss, and what is today. of our people to build Australia, Gregory told Yahoo News.
“The date of the so-called ‘Australia Day’ celebration has changed several times, with some older dates including months through July, only from 1994 to the 26th of this month.”
“Australia Day” was first celebrated on 30 July 1915 to raise funds for the World War I effort. In 1946, the federal and state governments agreed to unify all Australia Day celebrations and celebrate them on 26 January or the nearest Monday. Since 1994, all states and territories have celebrated her 26th January as a public holiday, Australia Day.
Indigenous mothers slam venues for profiting from Australia Day
Gregory wondered why pubs and other public places felt the need to hold events that day.
“Not only is the theme of the event terrifyingly spooky, but their venues are opportunistic, a date that has influenced generations of Indigenous people as well as Australia’s massive drinking culture. We are trying to recapture the celebration and patriotism of
However, she acknowledged that there are some positive changes happening in the organization, such as Kmart refusing to stock or sell Australia Day-themed products.
Despite previously calling for the date of Australia Day to be changed, Gregory now insists the public holiday should not exist at all.
“Over the past few years, we have seen countless voices, slogans and products calling for ‘changing the date’, meaning changing the date of ‘Australia Day’ and its celebrations,” she said. “Today we call for an end to Australia Day. Regardless of the date, the celebration of the arrival of the First Fleet and the atrocities that followed should not be celebrated.”
Gregory, a mother of two, says it’s hard to continue educating people through her work, but ‘hope’ keeps her going.
“Someday soon, my people, my community, my mob, and my children will live in a country that shows true knowledge and appreciation of Australia’s true history and the Indigenous Peoples who are the sovereigns of this land. I hope to live
Australia Day Celebrations Are Declining
According to a 2023 poll of 1,000 respondents by the Institute of Public Affairs, 62% of Australians believe Australia Day should be celebrated on 26 January. In 2019 he is 75%.
Mr Gregory encouraged Australians to attend Invasion Day rallies and “seek to be educated about the issues surrounding Indigenous peoples and our true history”.
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