Joyce rejects push for Oz Day change

DEPUTY Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has criticised the Greens for supporting the campaign to change the date of Australia Day.

Greens councillors across the country who launched local campaigns to move the date of celebrations from January 26 have been told they can count on the full support and resources of the national organisation.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale believes it’s time Australia stops papering over an issue which, he says, has been divisive and painful for so many for 200 years.

“People can continue, if they want to, to commemor- ate the arrival of the First Fleet.”

He dismissed claims he was promoting a “black armband view” of history, insisting changing the date could make the day bigger, better and more inclusive,” Senator Di Natale said.

“We’ll continue to celebrate Australian music, we’ll continue to celebrate all the things that we do ... but we’ll be able to do it in a way that brings the country together.”

Hobart City Council has thrown its weight behind the bid to change the date of Australia Day.

In October last year, Hobart aldermen agreed the council should formally declare its hand for the date of Australia Day to be changed from January 26.

However, the council will not stop holding its citizenship ceremonies and celebrations on Australia Day.

Mr Joyce said he was very proud of Australia Day and looked forward to celebrating it this year.

Indigenous leaders have been pushing for the change in recent years, saying January 26 is the date the First Fleet landed in Sydney Cove in 1788, marking the beginning of British colonisation.

However, there is a great deal of resistance from differ- ent quarters to the move, including from the Turnbull Government.

It has already stripped councils who abandoned January 26 celebrations of their power to hold citizenship ceremonies.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott took to social media yesterday to urge the Greens to accept January 26 as the best available date to celebrate.

“There are 364 other days a year for the Greens to be politically correct,” he tweeted.

Senator Di Natale joked there should be a national holiday when Mr Abbott retired from parliament.