Labor MP Linda Burney Attacks Australia Day
The attacks on Australia Day, our national day which celebrates the beginning of modern Australia, appear to increase every year. Last year we had Fremantle Council in Perth take it upon themselves to move Australia Day to two days later so it was allegedly more culturally inclusive. Australia Day this year was marked by ‘Invasion Day’ protests in several major Australian cities which blocked traffic and had incidents of violence.
So far, this year we have seen the Australian Local Government Association consider a motion to lobby the Federal Government to change the date to be more inclusive. It is for this reason that Mark Latham has launched a petition six months out from Australia Day 2018 to save the day in the face of this constant assault from the left.
The campaign to change Australia Day has up to this point only obtained the support of the fringe left of Australian politics. But appears now to have a gained its most powerful advocate yet, Federal Labor MP Linda Burney.
She is not any old backbencher, she is the Shadow Minister for Human Services and was previously a New South Wales MP and was State Labor’s Deputy Leader. She also appeared alongside Andrew Bolt in an ABC Documentary, she advocated for a Yes vote for the yet to be held referendum recognizing indigenous people in the Constitution.
She was addressing the New South Wales State Labor Conference yesterday and tweeted “There should be a public holiday that allows all Australians to celebrate in the spirit of truth telling and reconciliation”. Although she doesn’t name Australia Day itself, you can assume that she is implying that Australia Day is not a day that indigenous Australians can celebrate. One can also assume she was probably not howled down by her fellow Labor members for such outlandish proposal.
“There should be a public holiday that allows all Australians to celebrate in the spirit of truth telling and reconciliation.” pic.twitter.com/bPHGCwBp73
— Linda Burney MP (@LindaBurneyMP) July 29, 2017
Linda Burney should take note of what happened to the last person who felt it appropriate to attack one of Australia’s national days. Yassmin Abdel- Magied felt it was okay to use ANZAC Day to promote Middle Eastern political issues. She was so unprepared for the backlash that she has now decided to leave Australia for London.
With Bill Shorten already pledging radical change to Australian society through a referendum on the Republic, you can see that he would be receptive to the idea of changing the date of Australia Day.
Despite the usual howls of protest from the left, Australia Day is a holiday that is enthusiastically celebrated by the Australian people, many have annual Australia Day Barbeques. It is a day that is culturally inclusive as citizenship ceremonies welcoming new Australians are also an annual tradition.
If you view Australia Day as Invasion Day you are basically saying that Australian society should not exist and that nothing good has ever come from Australia since the first fleet landed in 1788.
Linda Burney should be called out for this attack on Australia Day, especially given the senior position she holds in Labor Party, we should be alert to all attacks on our national day. It should also serve as a warning as to what a Bill Shorten Labor Government would do with our national institutions and traditions.