Australia Day musings

On this Australia Day, here are my thoughts on a few topical items. Australia is a great place, but we do need to fix a few things, consider our national position on others, and simply ‘get over’ the rest.

1. Australia Day. The date of this national holiday has always been contentious, but changing it will not help matters (see point 2.) Australia Day should be a reason to celebrate; but indigenous Australians consider January 26 ‘Invasion Day’, and I see no reason why they would think otherwise should any of the other 364 date alternatives be chosen. Many Aboriginals believe (and many academics teach) that white fella came here, took over “their” land, and buggered their lifestyle irrevocably ever since. Reconciliation? Sure. I hear peace in the Middle East is also imminent.

2. April 25 (Anzac Day) as an alternative date to celebrate Australia Day. We should not even think about doing this, for if it happened it would be a cataclysmically bad decision. Australia Day should be a day of celebration. Anzac Day should be solemn, not a day for celebrating. War should never be celebrated.

3. Advance Australia Fair. This dirge masquerading as our national ‘anthem’ is an embarrassing and tuneless ode of trite if not abstruse sentiment, and every known score of it should be incinerated. A national and international competition should be launched to find a suitable new tribute to Australia and Australians. Yes, I said international. The competition should be open to everyone. Frankly, I couldn’t care less if the winner has never set foot on Australian soil. Who knows what could happen if we opened the competition as widely as possible. After all, who designed Sydney Opera House? An Australian? Don’t think so. Advance Australia Fair makes me feel as Australian as a Norwegian living in Canada.

4. The Australian Flag. It doesn’t do much for me, but I am not of the ‘new flag’ party. Suggestions of changing the flag just upset diggers who fought under it; not that I care much for this use of emotional blackmail and the pull it seems to have, nevertheless I think the flag should stay – for the foreseeable future anyway – because just about every design I have seen for an alternative looks like it was designed by a fifth grader on a red cordial high.

5. The ‘other’ Australian flag. The red, yellow and black one, I am referring to. This symbol of Aboriginality is Australia’s own Berlin wall. It might just be a piece of coloured material, but as long as it is flown and given significance by government and civic leaders, will remain symbolic of the impenetrable divisions that exist between Caucasian and indigenous Australians.

6. The monarchy. Strange as it may seem for someone who holds strong political convictions, but as far as whether Australia should become a republic, or remain a constitutional monarchy, I am an unabashed fence-sitter. The monarchy has served us very well, although I fear things will deteriorate when The Queen either abdicates (unlikely), or dies (more likely). Until such time as Republicans can tell us what sort of republic model they envisage for Australia, the status quo suits me just fine.

Please celebrate Australia Day peacefully and safely. Be grateful that you are fortunate that you live in this terrific land. If you are an expat, remember your roots, for if you lose sight of them, you lose sight of your ultimate destination.

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