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Australians have plenty to celebrate on Australia Day. Unfortunately, every year we find ourselves debating whether one distinction in particular â our choice of date for our national day â is worth celebrating at all.
National days around the world typically mark the anniversaries of national achievements such as the birth of the American republic on July 4, 1776, the confederation of Canadaâs provinces on July 1, 1867, or New Zealandâs Waitangi Treaty with Maori on February 6, 1840.
Eddie Mabo, whose historic High Court win on June 3, 1992 removed the legal fiction of terra nullius. Could that date become a national day to unite all Australians?
Australian MPs should serve the people, not the Queen
By Matt Thistlethwaite
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Australians stopped singing
God Save the Queen as our national anthem in 1984, but nearly 40 years later our elected leaders are still expected to promise to serve the Queen of the United Kingdom.
We now sing
Advance Australia Fair with different words that better reflect our modern nation. Our words should reflect who we serve â just as a new police officer taking an affirmation of service to the people or a doctor taking the oath to serve their patients state when they take on their duties.
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Australians have plenty to celebrate on Australia Day. Unfortunately, every year we find ourselves debating whether one distinction in particular â our choice of date for our national day â is worth celebrating at all.
National days around the world typically mark the anniversaries of national achievements such as the birth of the American republic on July 4, 1776, the confederation of Canadaâs provinces on July 1, 1867, or New Zealandâs Waitangi Treaty with Maori on February 6, 1840.
Eddie Mabo, whose historic High Court win on June 3, 1992 removed the legal fiction of terra nullius. Could that date become a national day to unite all Australians?
James Cookâs little known secret letter When James Cook arrived on our shores he was clutching a secret letter that blows the whole concept of Australia Day out of the water, says Muriel Bin Dol.
Opinion by Muriel Bin Dol OPINION January 26 is a defining date in our history, yet one that deeply divides our nation. The aspiration of our national day is to celebrate our shared values and freedoms. However, as more and more Australians embrace opportunities to learn about our First Nations cultures, so too are their perspectives on whether it is appropriate to celebrate this on the anniversary of Australia s invasion.
James Cookâs little known secret letter When James Cook arrived on our shores he was clutching a secret letter that blows the whole concept of Australia Day out of the water, says Muriel Bin Dol.
Opinion by Muriel Bin Dol OPINION January 26 is a defining date in our history, yet one that deeply divides our nation. The aspiration of our national day is to celebrate our shared values and freedoms. However, as more and more Australians embrace opportunities to learn about our First Nations cultures, so too are their perspectives on whether it is appropriate to celebrate this on the anniversary of Australia s invasion.