Australia Day is a national holiday unique to Australia and to many, it is a time to celebrate the establishment of the country. However, Australia Day means different things to different people. So what exactly is the official viewpoint of why and how we celebrate the 26th of January each year?
To answer this, let us quote the website of the Australia Day Council of NSW which states:
“Australia Day is a day to reflect, respect and celebrate the Australian spirit and the best of this country – our mateship, our sense of community and our resilience. We find optimism and hope as we look to the future.”
Further, it says:
“The Council’s vision is to inspire the national spirit and enrich the life of the nation. It works with and for the community to: unite the people of NSW, promote excellence in service to the nation, and lead discussion and debate in building our shared future.”
But despite what many consider worthy of celebration, the date represents something far different to many Indigenous people. To them, it is a remembrance of the beginning of what they consider an “invasion” and their ongoing oppression at the hands of the colonising forces.
To many indigenous people, Australia Day is a day of mourning, not only for the loss of life through multiple massacres, introduced diseases, and cold-blooded murders, but they also mourn the loss of their own culture, land, and in a sense their own identity.
As a result, many non-indigenous people also sympathise with the sensitive nature of the date, so there is a movement calling for its change.
Then, why do we celebrate January 26? Why do we still follow a date that – while gathering the community in a national spirit of unity – also signifies the gradual end of the indigenous way of life, that the original inhabitants had lived for thousands of years?
The most obvious reason is that January 26 is the date when the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Cove (Port Jackson), as was commemorated in 1988 when the nation celebrated the Bicentennial with a fleet of tall ships re-enacting the event.
An estimated 500,000 lined the foreshore and any other vantage point to take advantage of the celebratory events including a massive fireworks display and a visit from King Charles III, then Prince Charles, and his wife at that time Princess of Wales Diana Windsor (Spencer).
However, this raises another point of conjecture as the 26th is not the date the First Fleet arrived in Australia, nor was it even Sydney Cove. The first to arrive of the 11 ships was the “Supply” which reached Botany Bay on the 18th of January, while three more ships arrived on the 19th and the remaining vessels on the 20th of January.
As the bay was open and unprotected, the water was shallow so the ships could not anchor close to shore. Also, the soil was poor quality for planting and fresh water was scarce, so it was decided to find a more suitable location to establish a settlement.
On the 21st of January, three small boats set out to explore the shore further, and Sydney Cove was discovered about 12 kilometres to the north. The well-timbered place was offering sheltered anchorages, fresh water, and fertile soil. Captain Arthur Phillip, commanding officer of the First Fleet, was so impressed with what he had found he later sent a letter back to England stating:
“The finest harbour in the World, in which a thousand sail of the line may ride in the most perfect security…”
Finally, on the 26th of January, the Fleet set sail again and upon arriving at Port Jackson, Phillip planted a flag and officially took possession of the land on behalf of the British Empire.
This then clearly establishes the reason for celebrating on the 26th of January but does not negate the claims of Indigenous people. Although there is another lesser-known reason that may justify the choice of January 26 as the date for Australia Day.
In July 1900, after years of debate, the Australian constitution was passed by the British parliament and the royal assent, allowing Australia to be declared a nation which took effect as of the 1st of January 1901. However, this did not change the fact that Australians, including the Indigenous people, were still British citizens and subject to British rule, and remained so until 26th January 1949, when the “Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948” took effect.
Simply put, this act of Parliament created Australian citizenship and without it, we would all be British citizens living in Australia rather than the Aussies we are today, regardless of cultural or national background.
To quote the first Australian Minister for Immigration Arthur Calwell:
“It will symbolise not only our own pride in Australia but also our willingness to offer a share in our future to the new Australians we are seeking in such vast numbers”, Calwell said.
“They will no longer need to strive towards an intangible goal but can aspire to the honour of Australian citizenship.”
And as much as at that time British citizenship was considered something to be proud of, Calwell added:
“We shall try to teach the children that they are fortunate to be British, and even more fortunate to be Australian.”
Naturally, over the years attitudes and circumstances have changed and the Act needed improvement, and as such has been amended over 30 times. In 1973 it was renamed the Australian Citizenship Act, but it was the pivotal point in Australian history when every person living in Australia, or was ever to live in Australia, had the opportunity to be a true citizen of the country.
It also freed indigenous people from being citizens of the very race that began the process of colonisation and took their land. Nevertheless, that in itself does not undo the terrible harm that was done, but perhaps it is a point that can be celebrated.
For more information about Australia Day and what’s on, please visit https://www.australiaday.com.au or your local council webpage.