Do you believe 'Australia Day', held on January 26 in Australia, which celebrates the arrival of Europeans to Australia, should be renamed 'Invasion Day'?

No idea.

Sod off with all this commemorative sillyness.

Leave it alone. Any excuse to have fun!

I like it that way.

I think renaming Australia Day as Invasion Day is pretty inflammatory, but I do think it's insensitive to celebrate the European Colonisation of Australia when there are plenty of other days in Australian history that are less sensitive to Indigenous Australians. I have no problem with Aboriginal communities calling it Survival Day or Invasion Day, even in official functions. This is what it means to them.

I think the best solution would be to celebrate our Federation... when we became a federation of states, because it's more about Australia as a Nation than about the conquering of people and land.

Of course, the anniversary of Federation is on New Year's Day, so that would mean losing a "day off" so it's never going to happen!

(I wasn't sure what option to pick, because I would like to replace Australia day entirely, but not rename it as Invasion Day)

I don't really mind one way or the other, but that sounds kind of mean-spirited!

Mmmm. Strange. Can any British people here tell me if we have a British Day that I'm not aware of. Is it only Europeans who don't feel the need to bother with this sort of thing. I wonder if we should. Can't see it working outside of a Royal Wedding.

Call it what you like. I don't care. I like the sound of "Whoopsie Doodle Day"!

We have the saint days....

You have no problem allowing Aboriginal people to name Australia day or any other day Invasion Day because it means that to them, yet you want to curtail the celebrations of European arrival in Australia because it may be insensitive to Aboriginal people. That's a big double standard there. I see calling ALL white Australians as invaders as a racial slur. Where's the sensitivity from Aboriginal people?

Australia day is NOT there to celebrate the conquering of the Aboriginal people at all. Where did you get that from, Green Left Weekly?

australia did not just pop into existance on january 26th, we stole this land from the indigenous australians, so why celebrate something that is evil......hmm something from a 16 year old......i wish everyone felt the same way

Good point. Funny enough - everyone 'round here goes mad for St. Patricks Day. Although that's mainly Guiness and their advertising.

I've never celebrated any of the saints days. I don't even know when St. George's Day is!! April??

St. David's is on 1st March. We were forced to wear daffodils on our school uniforms when we were young. Or leeks made out of rolled up bits of paper with the top edge cut ragged.

I don't really know about it to say. I live in the U.S. and have never visited Australia. I have never even heard ot that holiday.

Sounds scary!

We have a similar problem in the U.S.-many Native Americans protest the celebration of Columbus Day because of the way Christopher Columbus and his followers treated the Native Americans when they landed in the New World.

Weren't the Europeans who arrived in Australia convicts? Wasn't Australia a big penal colony?
So if you're going to rename it, how about, "Convict Day?"

Yeah,I think they're saying that "How could Columbus discover America,when it had already been inhabited by the native american indians?"

Then again,that's similar to the europeans taking control of the Hawaiian Islands,during Captain Cooks arrival there.
Ohhhhhhh,don't EVEN get me started on that one.One good thing tho,it still remains to be called the Hawaiian Islands & not something else.

But,then again the Hawaiians don't celebrate Captain Cook day.lol cause there isn't any.

Okay..............what was the question again????


No.I agree with SueBee,it would sound pretty mean spirited.

Not so much that, but really more a protest of how Columbus and his people enslaved and murdered the Native Americans.

Yep! You took the words right out of my mouth.

Question??? Why do we STILL observe Columbus Day anyways?? Shouldn't someone poss that question to congress?? Or some higher official?? I just don't get it. To celebrate something as opressed as that.

I hate this kind of thing. It's like Columbus day. Everyone gets worked up about it. I always say ironically when it comes up (or think it when I'm around butt-holes), "Why dwell on the past--look how great we turned out!"

I think it's just a tradition that got started years ago. Of course, when I was in school, we weren't told of the bad things that Columbus and his people did, I didn't hear about that until I was an adult. BTW-I posted you a message in Forum and sent you an e-mail about a certain package.

True & vise-versa about the Hawaiians.

Ohhhh,a message in forum?? For me??? I never go there.....unless someone tells me to.& that's only twice now. I love invitations like that....Kinda like chat.I never go there either....unless invited to do so.& that hasn't happened yet. Come to think of it..I've never chatted anywhere....ever. I always feel as tho I'm missing something.

who gives a fudge?