My perspective on Australia Day – Our history isn’t Black and White

I’ve enjoyed a relaxing day with my family today. We didn’t have beer or a barbeque, but we did all wear thongs. (If you aren’t an Aussie then you might be thinking that statement sounds really wrong!) One of my kids asked me today what Australia Day means. I thought about it for a little while, and told them that there are a lot of people arguing about the answer to that question at the moment. To me it’s about spending some time outside enjoying good company, and it’s about the country. Not ‘the Commonwealth of Australia’, but the earth under our feet, the sun on our skin and the wind in our hair.

The country is what really binds us - Indigenous or not, we love this country because we know how lucky we are to live on this land, not matter how we choose to live on it.

The history of this country since colonisation has seen some really shitty things – but it has also seen some great things. What strikes me most about that history is that the shitty things were usually done by either people in power, or people seeking power. And the good things were often done by ordinary people. There were plenty of decent people in our history who got along no matter what race they were.

I’ve seen some contrasting views from Team Australia, but I’ve also seen a respectful conversation. We are a bunch of decent human beings, sitting on a blockchain which has the potential to shake up some of the power balance that causes most of the world’s problems.

I’m not sure if we should change the date or not. If we did, I would want to be certain that we all agree on a new date, and on how we move forward as a nation together. I am sure that I feel bloody lucky to live on this continent, and to have the support of team Australia.

Happy Australia Day everyone!