AUSTRALIA Day is approaching and more and more local councils won’t be celebrating it.

Fremantle Council stopped festivities and abandoned the fireworks eight years ago in 2016, out of respect for our First Nations People, many of whom say that it is Invasion Day for their people.

It is the day racism started, where they were displaced from their land, and a time of the Stolen Generation, where children were randomly taken away from their parents, for the simple reason only that they were black.

Australia Day is a day of mourning for our Aboriginal people, and that should be respected and considered.

I do believe that there should be a day that we all celebrate Australia, our achievements, history and multiculturalism, but I do support not doing that on January 26, as that date is pretty meaningless date to every other state and territory in Australia anyway.

It is the day the First Fleet arrived in 1788, but here in WA we had to wait a while, until 1829, until the first settlers arrived at Walyalup, that we now call Fremantle, and established the Swan River Colony.

For the first time this year the City of Fremantle will also not hold a citizenship ceremony on Australia Day, and will also conduct the Australia Day Citizenship Awards on January 23. The City has decided also to do away with the alternative One Day in Fremantle entertainment, and will instead have year-long truth telling events.

It is fair enough for local governments to decide when to hold their citizenship ceremonies.

It was silly political bluster from former Federal Liberal Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke, who decreed that councils would not be allowed to hold any citizenship events at all, if they did not have one on Australia Day.

The Albanese Government now allows councils to hold them within three days before or after Australia Day, hence we will have our Fremantle one on January 23.

It actually makes a lot of sense to not hold citizenship ceremonies on a public holiday, as it will be cheaper, and allows council staff and elected members to also have the day off, and there is no need to pay penalty rates to staff either.

All this is quite controversial and has become a bit of silly and disrespectful political grandstanding, which is disappointing.

We really need to become more mature about having a conversation about reconciliation, as was shown again during the Voice referendum campaign last year, where the debate became more about political parties, than about humanity, and the deep desire of our indigenous people to be recognised in the Australian constitution.

I believe we are a much better country than that. I never liked all those cars with Australian flags driving around, because there is a big difference between national pride and nationalism. As someone born in the Netherlands, excessive nationalism  worries me, and reminds me of the the very dark fascist days of Hitler and Mussolini.

Immigration by people from all over the world has made Australia the fantastic and peaceful country that it is. I believe that deserves a really good celebration on a national day, yes, on Australia Day! It would be so easy to shift the date, especially since it was initially held on a different date anyway.

Changing the date of Australia Day is not about politics of the right or left, or about woke culture, or pandering to a minority.

It is about mutual respects and accepting that January 26 is a very sensitive date for Australia’s First Nations People. We have grown and build this country together since, so let’s celebrate all of us, just not on January 26.

Roel Loopers/freoview.wordpress.com