CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Prime Minister Turnbull has last night relaunched into a debate usually reserved for that weird part of the year where everyone is looking for something to do after New Years Eve.
Australia Day. It’s a divisive issue, but one that we usually wait until January to jump back into arguing about and never resolving.
However, with the citizenship of a large number of federal politicians and lawmakers currently under question, the head of the Australian Catholic church currently awaiting a court date for child sex crimes, and the entire nation preparing to vote on whether or not gay people are humans, The Turnbull government has trotted out a bizarre issue for this time of the year.
“I know my entire government is under siege and we are dumping a lot of money into really pointless exercises but I would just like to say something quite inflammatory so we have something else to talk about”
“So, here we go [clears throat]”
“Australia Day, Aussie pride, Keep Australia Day, don’t change Australia Day, postal vote, Aussie pride, Aussie Spirit, Gallipoli”
These comments come after Melbourne’s City of Yarra council chose to scrap Australia Day celebrations on the public holiday of January 26 out of respect to Indigenous Australians, who recognise the day as one of mourning, not flag waving and binge drinking.
Prime Minister Turnbull has responded by stripping the council of its power to hold citizenship ceremonies. City of Yarra councillors on Tuesday night voted unanimously to scrap all council-run celebrations acknowledging January 26 as Australia Day, after a consultation process in which community and indigenous groups called the date a “culturally-sensitive event acknowledging the loss of culture, language and identity felt by the community on January 26.”
