Australia Day Commemorates the European Invasion
by Joseph Toscano Thursday January 25, 2007 at 11:59 PM
Repost from Anarchist Age Weekly Review No 724

Australia Day commemorates the establishment of a prison colony by the British authorities at Sydney Cove on the 26th of January 1788. It marks the beginning of a colonisation process that led to the dispossession at the point of a gun of an indigenous population that had lived on this continent for over 40,000 years.

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The descendants of the original inhabitants continue to pay the price for the profound effects the invasion has had on them. Two hundred and nineteen years later, they continue to struggle for justice, compensation and a treaty.

No amount of flag waving, patriotic speeches, government funded Australia Day events, nationalist chest thumping and participation in Australia's latest craze - wrapping ourselves in the Australian flag, can change the fact that it is a national tragedy that this country continues to celebrate what should be one of the most important days on the national calendar on such a divisive day.

By continuing to celebrate Australia Day on the 26th of January, we continue as a people to refuse to acknowledge the brutality and barbarity of the events surrounding the foundation of this country. There are many other days that could be used to celebrate the many positive achievements of Australians; inclusive days that would give all Australians the opportunity to participate in the celebrations - days that we could all be proud of. A few days that come to mind include:

• The 3rd of December - Eureka Day, the day that gave birth to Australian democracy.
• The 3rd of June - Mabo Day, the day in 1992 when the High Court of Australia found that indigenous Australians had rights to land in law, the day that marks the beginning of a long reconciliation process based on the acknowledgement of the past and justice.
• The 1st of September - Wattle Day, a day that acknowledges Australia's distinctive and unique environment legacy.

CASH FOR PEERAGES - The Invasion Day Honours List

Those Australians who kid themselves that it cannot happen here, only have to look at who receives the more prominent honours in the Australia Day (Invasion Day) and Queens Birthday (Suck Day) Honours List, to realise the same thing has been happening here. Nothing so vulgar as cash for a peerage, only the Blair Labor government has had the gall to link the award of a peerage to a cash donation to the British Labor Party.

The Howard led Coalition government uses the Australia Day and Queens Birthday Honours List to reward its political and ideological soul mates. Year in and year out, government supporters get the more important gongs. It is unusual to find anybody who has done anything for their fellow citizens in the top echelons of the awards that are dished out. Those responsible for handing out the goodies make sure those who have done their bit to support the Howard government's ideological agenda, receive the more important awards.

Those Australians, who have done the right thing by their fellow citizens and receive an award, are normally awarded the humble OAM - Order of Australia Medal. The more prestigious prizes nearly always end up in the hands of the government's mates. The tragedy about this biannual charade is most Australians accept what is happening.

By the time you read this article, the Invasion Day Honours List will have been released. Do not be surprised if most of the big prizes have gone to the government's ideological soul mates.

The current 'Honours' system is a disgrace; the sooner it is ditched and replaced with a more appropriate system of honours, the sooner those Australians who have served the community, not themselves, the State or the government of the day, will finally have their efforts publicly recognised by the communities they have served.

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