The demand to change Australia Day to another date has grown more than ever before, and it is easy to understand why. The current date of Australia Day is the day of disdain for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It represents invasion, mourning, stolen children, loss of culture, and more.

This petition proposes that Australia Day should no longer be on January 26, and be a celebration not mainly focusing on the founding of this country, but rather a main focus on respect and reflection of our history in general, our identity as Australians, and a promotion of peace and treaties between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. We and the signers demand that Australia Day should be changed to any day between mid to late October. As many of you know, due to the ongoing Americanisation of Australian culture, the American version of Halloween (rather than the traditional British version) is becoming increasingly popular among young people during October. A major impact of the popularity of Halloween is that it is drawing focus from businesses to sell decorations and costumes, or host events for the festivity, more than our home-grown annual rituals such as Australia Day, National Reconciliation Week, and NAIDOC Week, and some of the European / British traditions we borrowed.

It may be very hard, if not impossible, to get the original British version of Halloween (aka Samhain) to become popular in Australia again. Therefore, we believe that to help stop American influences becoming a general part of our society, October would be a fantastic time to shift the date of Australia Day to. It will give us a sense of community to help us emotionally and culturally identify with our country and will provide a good alternative to giving us community activities and fun things to do during the month.

Another reason why Australia Day should be shifted to mid or late October is that this is the final month of the breeding season of the emu, the national bird of Australia that cannot move backwards. This could be a great symbol of us “moving forward” and our “growth and development” as Australians.

Furthermore, some significant events in Australia’s history occurred in October, that may not be largely associated with ideas of invasion. Particular ones include:

- The opening of Sydney University (1 October 1850)

- Our first royal visit, by Prince Alfred (31 October 1867). Known for his hardworking, vigilant personality and artistic versatility. He also contributed partially to the ceasing of disputes in Prussia and the United States.

- The folk, patriotic song “The Song of Australia” being written (1859)

- Sir Henry Parkes giving his speech concerning federation in Tenterfield, New South Wales (24 October 1889)

- Mary MacKillop becoming the first Australian to be canonised in the Catholic Church (17 October 2010). Well known for her work in establishing orphanages, and schools for the poor in rural areas, and for exposing a pedophile priest.

- Patrick White, world renowned Australian novelist, winning the Nobel prize (18 October 1973)

- The Sydney Opera House being opened (20 October 1973)

- Australian government returning Uluru to its traditional owners (26 October 1985)

People outside of Australia may believe that it is odd for a country to have its official national day between mid to late October when people are suppose to be preparing for Halloween, but who cares? Moreover, moving the date to that month doesn’t mean that we should ignore the fact that the invasion of Aboriginal land happened and pretend that it didn’t occur. We can still be taught about early colonisation and the official founding day of Australia in schools, on television, and on the radio, and even during speeches on the potential new date of Australia Day.

The exact date of Australia Day between mid to late October could be decided via lottery within the government (e.g. drawing pieces of paper with dates ranging from 15-31 October out from a jar), but if it cannot be decided that way, October 24 would be the most suitable day as this was when Sir Henry Parkes gave his speech at Tenterfield in New South Wales, setting the course for federation. This day is not Sydney-centric (as January 26 concerns the founding of a colony in Sydney) and concerns all of Australia. It is also the date of United Nations Day, a nice day to associate with human rights and the call for freedom of all citizens here. Otherwise, it should be October 20, as that is the calculated median date of all the ones I suggested above for the significant October dates in Australia’s history.

To all the signers:

Thank you for signing and for demanding change to the Australian government. Let’s work together to not only end the Americanisation of Australia, but also to provide a better future for us to build a great relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous locals.

References

1. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albert-Prince-Consort

2. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Mary-MacKillop

3. https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/defining-moments-timeline

4. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6073037/october-24-significant/

5. Field Guide to the Birds of Australia (Simpson & Day book)