Australia Day

Australia Day is Australia's official national day, January 26. It commemorates the landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove on that day in 1788.

History

January 26, 1788 was the date on which Captain Arthur Phillip took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales.

By 1808 the day was being celebrated as 'First Landing' or 'Foundation Day'. In 1818 (the 30th anniversary) government workers were given a holiday - a tradition that was soon followed by banks and other public offices.

In 1888 all colonial capitals (with the exception of Adelaide) celebrated 'Anniversary Day' and by 1935 all states of Australia were celebrating January 26 as Australia Day (although it was still known as Anniversary Day in NSW).

The 1938 sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of white settlement in New South Wales in 1936 was widely celebrated. Preparations began in 1936 with the formation of a Celebrations Council. In that year, NSW was the only state to abandon the traditional long weekend and the annual Anniversary Day public holiday was held on the actual anniversary day - Wednesday 26 January.

In 1946 the Commonwealth and State governments agreed to unify the celebrations on January 26 as 'Australia Day', although the public holiday was instead taken on the Monday closest to January 26.

Since 1994 all states and territories have taken the Australia Day public holiday on January 26.

Celebrations

Australia Day is a national public holiday. For some years the holiday was held on the closest Monday, to provide a long weekend. It is now held on the actual anniversary, with that day being the public holiday.

Australia Day is marked by civic celebrations around the country, including the Order of Australia and Australian of the Year awards for outstanding achievement. Air Force aerial displays are held in some capital cities. Citizenship ceremonies are also held on Australia Day. The Australia Day Achievement Medallion is awarded to citizens based on excellence in both government and non-government organisations. Customarily, the Prime Minister will make an address to the nation.

Fireworks celebrations are held in many towns and cities around the country. The Perth Lotterywest Skyworks display is billed as the largest Australia Day celebration in the country, with more than a third of the city's population (around 500,000 estimated for the 2006 Skyworks) lining the river foreshore for the display.

Two significant events in the Australian music scene occur on Australia Day - the Triple J Hottest 100, and the Sydney leg of the Big Day Out music festival. There is also often a one day cricket match such as the _Sri_Lanka_v_Australia.2C_26_January.

Criticism and alternate celebrations

For many Aboriginal Australians and sympathisers, the celebrations arouse hostility; there has been some comment on how the arrival of the British adversely affected the indigenous people of the country. They call the day "Invasion Day" as they regard it as celebrating the decimation of their people, the confiscation of their lands and the destruction of their culture. In recent years, some indigenous Australians have also celebrated the day as "Survival Day," thankful that their ancestors were not completely wiped out by the newly arrived settlers.

In Sydney, on Australia Day 2006, there was a Woggan-ma-gule ceremony honouring the past and celebrating the present involving the New South Wales Governor and Indigenous Australians. See also: Day of Mourning, Survival Festival.

Australia Day is also treated with ambivalence by those who consider the anniversary of the founding of one colony not relevant to Australia as a whole. Some Western Australians point out that Western Australia was not even claimed by Britain until 1791-09-29. There is no great sense of attachment to Australia Day by many Australians from the East coast either. Many regard the day as a convenient end-of-summer holiday, but not of any great emotive significance. Public participation in ceremonies, other than sports events, is infrequent.

Suggested changes to the date

Some have suggested making ANZAC Day Australia's national day, or changing to January 1, commemorating 1 January 1901 when Australia's six colonies federated into one nation. Each of the alternatives raised also pose problems — ANZAC Day because many war veterans believe that it is their day, and that it is also a public holiday in New Zealand, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga, while 1 January is already a public holiday and is in the middle of the Christmas holiday season.

Many supporters of the continued use of Australia Day as Australia's national day point out that 26 January commemorates an actual historical event, similar to ANZAC Day, Bastille Day in France, Canada Day and July 4 in the United States.