‘Invasion Day’ for original Australians

Thousands of Australians marked national day celebrations on Thursday with rallies in support of indigenous people, many of whom see the anniversary of the day a British fleet sailed into what is now Sydney Harbour as “Invasion Day”.

In Sydney, capital of Australia’s most populous state New South Wales, social media showed a big crowd at an “Invasion Day” rally in the central business district, some carrying Aboriginal flags. An indigenous smoking ceremony took place.

There were similar protests in other Australian state capitals, including South Australia’s Adelaide, where about 2,000 people attended, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Speaking at a flag-raising and citizenship ceremony in Australia’s capital, Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese honoured the nation’s indigenous people, who have occupied the land for at least 65,000 years.

“Let us all recognise the unique privilege that we have to share this continent with the world’s oldest continuous culture,” said Albanese.

While it was a “difficult day” for Indigenous Australians, there were no plans to change the holiday’s date, he said.

An annual poll by market research company Roy Morgan and released this week showed nearly two-thirds of Australians say January 26 should be considered “Australia Day”, largely unchanged from a year ago.

The rest say that it should be referred to as “Invasion Day”. Amid the debate, some companies have adopted a stance of flexibility on observance of the holiday. Australia’s largest telecom company, Telstra, this year gave its staff the option to work on January 26 and take another day off instead.

“For many first nations peoples, Australia Day ... marks a turning point that saw lives lost, culture devalued, and connections between people and places destroyed,” Telstra CEO Vicki Brady wrote on LinkedIn.

Many of Australia’s 880,000 or so indigenous people out of a population of 25-million lag behind others on economic and social indicators in what the government calls “entrenched inequality”.

This year’s holiday comes as Albanese’s centre-left Labour Party government plans a referendum on recognising indigenous people in the constitution, and requiring consultation with them on decisions that affect their lives.

The government plans to introduce legislation in March to set up the referendum that will take place later this year, as the Indigenous voice shapes as a key federal political issue.

The constitution, which came into effect in January 1901 and cannot be amended without a referendum, does not refer to the country’s indigenous people.

A person at Sydney’s protest, Abi George, said it was not a happy day for all Australians, especially indigenous people. “Nobody’s got the right to celebrate genocide,” she said.

Protester Vivian Macjohn, said the rally supported indigenous people. “I think it’s important that we show up and we mourn with them and stand in solidarity,” she said.