Though many people of the Australian population view Australia Day as a day off to relax, January 26th has always been divisive, with the remainder of the population seeing January 26th as Invasion Day in lieu of a day of celebration.
The article ‘Australia Day nationalism walks in the footsteps of ugly precedents’ by Robin Tennant-Wood was written for The Conversation on the 14th of January, 2014 and has one main idea: the meaning of Australia Day has strayed and does not do justice in celebrating the multiculturalism in Australia. When one thinks of Australia Day, images of people wearing the Australian flag come to mind. This is a part of nationalism and though it is good to be proud to be Australian, often, there are undertones of racism. …show more content…
Shirts with the design ‘Australia Est. 1788’ on the front were approved by the government to be sold by huge Australia stores such as Big W and Aldi. Although it was removed due to backlash, many shirts were inevitably sold which legitimises the concept of terra nullius. Many Australians unknowingly accept that the First Fleet rightfully gained possession of Australia even though it, being the oldest continent, was inhabited by Aboriginals for at least 70 000 years.
Article 2, ‘Modern Australia’s defining moment came long after First Fleet’ by Benjamin T. Jones, establishes that there is no specific date for the defining moment of Australian history, but rather a series of accomplishments that made Australia the hospitable country that it is today. Young Australian’s draped in the Australian flag are symbols of the multiculturalism in Australia.
Even though Tony Abbott is often dismissed as Australia’s equivalent of George Bush, a social blunder, the consistency of his interpretation of Australian history suggests that it is deliberate. In 2014, Tony Abbott stated that Australia was barely settled before 1788 and repeated that he believed the arrival of the First Fleet “was the defining moment in the history of this continent. Abbott’s comment inevitably received disapproving criticism from indigenous leaders (Sydney Morning Herald, …show more content…
It was not until January 1901 that Australia became an independent nation. Australia then adopted the Statute of Westminster in 1942 and became a self-governing country, becoming independent from British government. A significant event in Australian history was the completely abolition of the White Australia Policy by the government of Gough Whitlam in 1973. Al Grassby, Gough Whitlam’s immigration minister, declared, “It is dead. Give me a shovel and I’ll bury it”. He also instituted the word ‘multiculturalism’ to Australia’s political vocabulary and it became the government’s official policy. This policy was then reinforced by the government of Malcolm Fraser, exemplified by the resettlement of thousands of Vietnamese refugees following the Vietnam
The article ‘Australia Day nationalism walks in the footsteps of ugly precedents’ by Robin Tennant-Wood was written for The Conversation on the 14th of January, 2014 and has one main idea: the meaning of Australia Day has strayed and does not do justice in celebrating the multiculturalism in Australia. When one thinks of Australia Day, images of people wearing the Australian flag come to mind. This is a part of nationalism and though it is good to be proud to be Australian, often, there are undertones of racism. …show more content…
Shirts with the design ‘Australia Est. 1788’ on the front were approved by the government to be sold by huge Australia stores such as Big W and Aldi. Although it was removed due to backlash, many shirts were inevitably sold which legitimises the concept of terra nullius. Many Australians unknowingly accept that the First Fleet rightfully gained possession of Australia even though it, being the oldest continent, was inhabited by Aboriginals for at least 70 000 years.
Article 2, ‘Modern Australia’s defining moment came long after First Fleet’ by Benjamin T. Jones, establishes that there is no specific date for the defining moment of Australian history, but rather a series of accomplishments that made Australia the hospitable country that it is today. Young Australian’s draped in the Australian flag are symbols of the multiculturalism in Australia.
Even though Tony Abbott is often dismissed as Australia’s equivalent of George Bush, a social blunder, the consistency of his interpretation of Australian history suggests that it is deliberate. In 2014, Tony Abbott stated that Australia was barely settled before 1788 and repeated that he believed the arrival of the First Fleet “was the defining moment in the history of this continent. Abbott’s comment inevitably received disapproving criticism from indigenous leaders (Sydney Morning Herald, …show more content…
It was not until January 1901 that Australia became an independent nation. Australia then adopted the Statute of Westminster in 1942 and became a self-governing country, becoming independent from British government. A significant event in Australian history was the completely abolition of the White Australia Policy by the government of Gough Whitlam in 1973. Al Grassby, Gough Whitlam’s immigration minister, declared, “It is dead. Give me a shovel and I’ll bury it”. He also instituted the word ‘multiculturalism’ to Australia’s political vocabulary and it became the government’s official policy. This policy was then reinforced by the government of Malcolm Fraser, exemplified by the resettlement of thousands of Vietnamese refugees following the Vietnam