Australia Day
| Australia Day | |
|---|---|
| Also called | Foundation Day, Anniversary Day, Survival Day, Invasion Day, Day of Mourning and Protest (by some Indigenous Australians) |
| Observed by | most Australians in the form of a public holiday |
| Type | National, Patriotic, Nationalist |
| Significance | Date of landing of First Fleet in Port Jackson in 1788 |
| Observances | Family meetings, parades, citizenship ceremonies, Order of Australia honours, Australian of the Year presented |
| Date | 26 January |
| Related to | Anzac Day, a celebration of Australia's "baptism of fire" as a nation during World War I, all other national holidays |
Australia Day is Australia's official national day, 26 January. It commemorates the landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove on that day in 1788.
History
26 January 1788 was the date on which the First Fleet, under Captain Arthur Phillip arrived at Sydney Cove and set up the Colony of New South Wales. Formal possession, including the reading of Phillip's Commission, took place on 7 February.
By 1808 the day that the Rum Corps arrested Governor Bligh, it was being celebrated as 'First Landing' or 'Foundation Day'. In 1818 (the 30th anniversary) Governor Macquarie had a 30-gun salute at Dawes Point and gave government workers a holiday[1] - a tradition that was soon followed by banks and other public offices.
In 1888 all colonial capitals (with the exception of Adelaide) celebrated 'Anniversary Day' and by 1935 all states of Australia were celebrating January 26 as Australia Day (although it was still known as Anniversary Day in New South Wales).
The 1938 sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of British settlement in New South Wales in 1788 was widely celebrated. Preparations began in 1936 with the formation of a Celebrations Council. In that year, New South Wales was the only state to abandon the traditional long weekend and the annual Anniversary Day public holiday was held on the actual anniversary day - Wednesday 26 January.[2]
In 1946 the Commonwealth and State governments agreed to unify the celebrations on 26 January as 'Australia Day', although the public holiday was instead taken on the Monday closest to 26 January.[3]
Since 1994 all states and territories have taken the Australia Day public holiday on 26 January.[3]
Celebrations
Australia Day is a national public holiday. For some years the holiday was held on the closest Monday, to provide a long weekend. It is now held on the actual anniversary, with that day being the public holiday.
Australia Day is marked by civic celebrations around the country, including the Order of Australia and Australian of the Year awards for outstanding achievement. Air Force aerial displays are held in some capital cities. Citizenship ceremonies are also held on Australia Day. The Australia Day Achievement Medallion is awarded to citizens based on excellence in both government and non-government organisations. Customarily, the Prime Minister will make an address to the nation.
Fireworks celebrations are held in many towns and cities around the country. The Perth Lotterywest Skyworks display is billed as the largest Australia Day celebration in the country, with more than a third of the city's population (around 500,000 estimated for the 2006 Skyworks) lining the river foreshore for the display.
The Australian music scene enjoys a significant event on Australia Day - the Triple J Hottest 100. The Sydney leg of the Big Day Out music festival has also traditionally occurred on Australia Day, however in 2007, the date was moved to Jan 25 partly because the event producer did not like how the flags were used last year. There is also often a one day cricket match such as the 2006 Australia Day match in Adelaide. In Canberra the Australia Day Live Concert takes place where the Australian of the Year is announced.
Criticism and alternative celebrations
For many Aboriginal Australians and sympathisers, the celebrations arouse hostility; there has been some comment on how the arrival of the British adversely affected the indigenous people of the country. They call the day "Invasion Day" as they regard it as celebrating the decimation of their people, the confiscation of their lands and the destruction of their culture. In recent years, some indigenous Australians have also celebrated the day as "Survival Day," thankful that their ancestors were not completely wiped out by the newly arrived settlers.
In Sydney, on Australia Day 2006, there was a Woggan-ma-gule ceremony honouring the past and celebrating the present involving the New South Wales Governor and Indigenous Australians. See also: Day of Mourning, Survival Festival.
Australia Day is also treated with ambivalence by those who consider the anniversary of the founding of one colony not relevant to Australia as a whole. Some Western Australians point out that Western Australia was not even claimed by Britain until 19 September 1829.
Australia Day's importance as a national event is somewhat downplayed by some Australians as a cultural cringe. There is no great sense of attachment to Australia Day by some Australians from the East coast either. Some regard the day as a convenient end-of-summer holiday, but not of any great emotive significance. Public participation in ceremonies, other than sports events, is infrequent, although not generally any less frequented by the public compared to other civic occasions.
In recent years, Australia Day has been celebrated more intensely by all; Anglo-Australians in particular. Australia Day barbecues and pool parties are the norm, and the day usually creates a great outpouring of national pride. This has often been villified by some critcs as racist towards the many different cultures that coexist within the country's borders.
Suggested changes to the date
Some have suggested making ANZAC Day Australia's national day, or changing to 1 January, commemorating 1 January 1901 when Australia's six colonies federated into one nation. Each of the alternatives raised also pose problems — ANZAC Day because many war veterans believe that it is their day, and that it is also a public holiday in New Zealand, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga, while 1 January is already a public holiday and is in the middle of the Christmas holiday season.
Many supporters of the continued use of Australia Day as Australia's national day point out that 26 January commemorates an actual historical event, similar to ANZAC Day, Bastille Day in France, Canada Day in Canada and Independence Day in the United States.
References
- ^ Sydney Gazette, 24 January 1818 (quoted in More Pig Bites Baby! Stories from Australia's First Newspaper, volume 2, ed. Micahel Connor, Duffy and Snellgrove, 2004, ISBN 1-876631-91-0)
- ^ "Australia Day - History". Australia Day Council of New South Wales. 2005. Retrieved 2006-07-06.
- ^ a b "History of Australia Day". National Australia Day Council. Retrieved 2006-07-06.
External links
- History
- Official sites
- National Australia Day Council
- Australia Day Council, New South Wales
- Australia Day Council, Australian Capital Territory
- Australia Day Committee, Victoria
- Australia Day, Queensland
- Australia Day Council, South Australia
- Australia Day Council, Western Australia
- Australia Day Council, Tasmania
- Australia Day Council, Northern Territory
- Critical
- Commentary
Tony Stephens (2006). "Country gets wrapped up in the flag". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2006-01-27. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |accessyear= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)