There was a time when Australia Day was barely noticed at all.
The day itself was marked by a speech from the Governor General, and if it was a slow news day about thirty seconds of his oration might have made it to the evening news. The holiday was taken on the nearest Monday, giving us our first long weekend of the year. Even so, it attracted minimal attention other than as a marker of the end of school holidays. With the holiday Monday in the rear view mirror the families roughing it in a park, or by a river or a beach – from which we derive the saying ‘As camp as Rosebud foreshore at Christmas’ – started packing up the gear, and debating whether they started the journey home before dawn or waited until after breakfast.
The angrier and more political debate is a recent development. The first protest against Australia Day took place in 1938, 150 years after the First Fleet dropped anchor in Sydney Cove. And there was little heard from that contingent again until the Bicentenary in 1988, which saw the first usage of the term Invasion Day. In the 38 years since it’s difficult to remember any year in which there was not some form of protest against the celebration. 2018 is prominent in the memory, thanks to the call of ‘Fuck Australia! Burn it to the ground!’ by Tarneen Onus Williams. Australia remains upright and relatively free of incineration, except during summer and the bushfire season. And Ms O W later downplayed her call as rhetoric rather than actual demand. At the time she was working for government in a number of capacities; criticism of her stand may have led her to perceive the connection between an actual burning down of the Commonwealth and a corresponding loss of income and employment.
‘Always was, always will be, aboriginal land.’ In this usage the definition of ‘always’ is more flexible than a politician’s promise.
‘Change the Date’ is another perennial favourite. This year The Daily Declaration poses seven questions on the change. Question 4 is an excellent sample.
How long until people become indigenous to their own country?
My father’s parents migrated to Australia from Germany. My mother’s side, who were also of German descent, have been in Australia much longer. Australia is the only homeland I’ve ever known, yet I am not considered indigenous to Australia. If I’m not indigenous to Australia, where am I indigenous to? Germany? This seems doubtful.
More practically, how much longer until my descendants can be considered indigenous to Australia?
I’m not trying to be cute with this line of questioning.
The Pemarangk people, who once lived on the land I now call home, didn’t always live here either. Based on what we know of inter-tribal warfare before European contact, they likely took this land from a prior group by conquest, who probably did the same. Indeed, Australia’s entire Aboriginal population ultimately traces its ancestry back beyond this continent via ancient migration routes through Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
In other words, the Pemarangk became indigenous to this land but didn’t always enjoy that status. If they can gain it, why can’t I?
I invite you to follow the link and give particular attention to question number 6. Most Australians don’t even know the list of days for mourning white injustice has grown so long.
The protesters are here to stay – they certainly won’t be gone in a hurry. But recruiting for the next generation of activism would appear to be a challenge. A poll conducted for the Institute of Public Affairs indicated that Australians in the 18-24 bracket very strongly support keeping January 26 as the day to celebrate Australia Day. Other polls reveal that the pro-26th campaign has gained ground in recent years.
Here’s to the 26th! Long may it hold its prestige!
The mind is an unexplored country. 
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