Here Are Five Myths About Australia Day (and the Reason Some Aussies Want to #ChangetheDate)

There seem to be quite a few misconceptions out there.

Australia Day. Have you ever really thought about what the day actually celebrates? I mean, really thought about it?

Commonly, you'll hear that it's a day to celebrate Australia being a nation of 'mateship' and giving everyone a 'fair go', but these are vague terms that every country celebrates in different forms.

The date for Australia Day (26 January) has a particular significance; one that inspires deep mourning for Australia's First Peoples, while others cheerfully celebrate the day off from work. Everyone might have an opinion about the date (and the day in general), but one thing seems glaringly obvious: no one's really sure why we celebrate a national day on 26 January in the first place.

Because of this, there's been a growing movement to change the date to another day. A.B. Original released a song about it, Triple J recently changed their Hottest 100 countdown to the fourth Saturday in January to avoid its association with it, and the Greens are behind a push to formalise a change in Parliament.

We conducted a survey on the subject last year, and while it found that 60 per cent of students wanted to keep Australia Day on 26 January, it became apparent that not everyone was sure why we held it there to begin with. Some of the responses that didn't want to change the date indicated that they thought Australia was discovered on this day, and that it had been a tradition for too long to change now.

Just last week, another survey was released highlighting that just over a third of those surveyed knew the real reason why Australia Day is held on 26 January.

So, in order to help you understand the debate, we've collated some common myths about why we hold Australia Day on 26 January, and the truth behind them.

1. It’s the day Australia became a nation.

This one's a pretty solid 'nope'. Australia became a nation, (mostly) independent of Britain, on 1 January 1901. It happened after legislation was passed in British Parliament, and saw the six colonies of Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia) join to form a constitutional monarchy (meaning, the Queen is the head of state).

2. Wasn't it when Captain Cook first spotted Botany Bay?

This is, you guessed it, wrong. Captain James Cook set sail from Britain in August 1768 in order to find Terra Australis incognita ('unknown southern land') among other things. It wasn't until 1770 that Cook encountered the east coast of Australia, mapping it up to Cape York and claiming it for Britain in the name of the crown. That date? 19 April.

3. Okay, well, it’s the day Australia became independent from England.

Yep, this one's also in the bin. You might be thinking, 'Oh nah, that was in 1901, right?' Well, even that's actually wrong. It actually wasn't until 3 March 1986 that Australia actually received proper independence (well, a version of it) from Britain. Up until then, state matters still went to the Queen through British ministers.

4. I'm sure it's the date the First Fleet arrived in Sydney?

Technically, this is also wrong. They actually arrived at Botany Bay between 18 and 20 January and decided it was unsuitable for settlement. They decided to travel a bit further north and arrived in Port Jackson, a.k.a. Sydney Harbour, and on 26 January, Captain Arthur Phillip and a few men arrived in Port Jackson and planted a British flag.

This is where we get the date for Australia Day: to mark the beginning of a tiny penal colony in New South Wales. Not the founding of Australia. Not even the formation of the state of New South Wales. Just the arrival of 11 ships (six of them convict ships) on an occupied land to start a prison island.

5. But, we've always celebrated 'Australia Day' on 26 January!

This is also a myth. Australia Day, in its current form, has only existed since 1994. Originally, it was referred to as Foundation Day or First Landing Day by ex-convicts and eventually grew into a celebration held in Sydney by colonialists to celebrate the beginning of the colony. 

One of the first times it was referred to as Australia Day came after Federation. In 1915, at the beginning of Australia's involvement in World War One, an Australia Day was held on 30 July, in the dead of winter, to raise funds for the war.

By the 1940s, states and territories began commonly adopting the name Australia Day and eventually it was made into a public holiday. It wouldn't be for another 50 years (1994!) that Australia Day would be nationally celebrated as a public holiday on 26 January. 

That's why the date is commonly criticised: for marking (roughly) the landing of the First Fleet and the start of colonial Australia. On 26 January 1788, NSW had only just been established as a colony. Australia would not be a country for another 113 years. The White Australia Policy wouldn't be dismantled until another 72 years after that. 

It's a bizarre date to celebrate a national holiday that is meant to unite all those living in Australia, and that's before you even look at some of the massacres in Australia's history that occurred on 26 January as well.

What are the alternatives?

Some have thought that 3 March is a good alternative, due to it being the day Australia officially cut legal ties with the British. While we're still a part of the Commonwealth, it's as close as we can get to an Independence Day without becoming a republic.

Others have suggested we move it to 8 May, because May-Eight kinda sounds like 'Mate'. Genius.

So, what can we do to show support for changing the date?

For starters, educate your friends and family. It's important to understand why 26 January isn't a great date to celebrate in the first place, and for some people who have only ever known Australia Day to be on that day, it could be confusing.

You can write, email or call your local politician (look them up here) to explain why you think we should change the date. You can sign petitions, join marches and challenge people who are against the change.

Just remember, a date change won't ruin Australia as a nation; it will just mean a more inclusive celebration. With the state of the world right now, is that really a bad thing?

Photo: iStock.com/baona