Australia Day overhaul
Labor plan to change date, ditch national flag
AUSTRALIA DAY will be moved to another date and the Australian flag thrown away for a new design, under a plan hatched by Queensland Labor Party members.
The Bulletin has obtained a draft motion before the State ALP conference in Townsville this weekend which proposes massive changes to national celebrations.
The State Opposition has responded by saying it is “political correctness gone mad”.
In the motion, prepared by a Brisbane ALP branch, members argued that Australia Day must be a day that all Australians can celebrate.
“We assert, therefore, that our current national day of 26 January does not meet this essential requirement,” they wrote. “Unfortunately, it is also a day viewed by many of our indigenous citizens as a day of mourning, a day that marks the origin of their dispossession and their oppression.
“We also note that the current national flag is somewhat anachronistic in that it features the flag of another nation, Great Britain.”
The flag should have a “unique symbol” reflecting Australia which could be determined by community debate.
Opposition leader Tim Nicholls late yesterday said there were bigger issues to be debated at “the Labor love-in”.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk and Labor should be debating how they will address the job crisis in Queensland or perhaps even debating removing the hidden taxes they have put on power,” he said.
“People across Queensland celebrate Australia Day – strongly, proudly and in many different forms. Sadly, it seems the Labor Government has been caught out trying to move it and if that isn’t bad enough, they also want to change the Australian flag. This is political correctness gone mad.”