tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35800198362595519842024-03-14T18:47:34.898+11:00Australian BeingOpening up to you some of the conversations about being Australian and Australia Day that we have as part of our daily work at the National Australia Day CouncilNational Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-46927201465082653842012-01-25T09:14:00.000+11:002012-01-25T09:14:31.682+11:00Guest Blogger - Tim Soutphommasane<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Australians have always been a little uncomfortable with formalities. So it has been with our national day. The Americans may have their Fourth of July parades, and the French their Bastille Day processions, but insofar as there is a definitive way of celebrating Australia Day it’s a barbecue. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And yet, a new ritual is emerging across the country. In town halls and squares around the country this week, more than 10,000 people will become Australian citizens. They will pledge “my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey". </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">If there is a lack of civic rituals in our national life, I can think of no better way for Australians, new and old, to come together and celebrate our fraternal bonds. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Australia Day is, after all, a day of citizenship. By this I don’t mean that it’s a day only for those who become citizens. Rather, I mean that it’s an occasion for us to reflect upon the things that we share as Australians. It's not all about landscape and lifestyle. We shouldn’t forget the democratic rights and freedoms that comprise the Australian tradition. Though we are a young country in some respects, we’re also one of the oldest democracies in the world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It can be easy for many of us to take our membership of the community for granted. So this Australia Day, if you’ve nothing planned, think about popping by a citizenship ceremony in your town or city. Witnessing others naturalise as Australians is a reminder that citizenship is not for everyone a birthright. As any naturalised Australian will tell you, it is a status worn with immeasurable pride.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And you can be more than just a spectator too: after new citizens take their pledge of loyalty, you can affirm yours with the same pledge. It’s a humble ritual, more about substance than style. I’d say it’s just about right for a country that doesn’t like going over the top with its rituals. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soutphommasane.com.au/_/rsrc/1320326212523/home/Profile%20Oct%2011.jpg?height=400&width=266" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.soutphommasane.com.au/_/rsrc/1320326212523/home/Profile%20Oct%2011.jpg?height=400&width=266" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Tim Soutphommasane is a political philosopher. His books include Reclaiming Patriotism and The Virtuous Citizen (forthcoming this year).</span></i></div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-73705626387015345382012-01-20T12:10:00.000+11:002012-01-20T12:10:51.228+11:00Endless Horizon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sterlingcurrency.com.au/files/R316UNCFRONT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://www.sterlingcurrency.com.au/files/R316UNCFRONT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A090015b.htm?hilite=Dame%3BMary%3BGilmore" target="_blank">Dame Mary Gilmore</a> is the person featured on the back of our ten dollar note. She was a passionate social reformer in the 1890’s and a poet. She wrote ‘Europe has its peaks piercing the sky but we have the horizon’. Geoffrey Blainey wrote that ‘This land is endless horizon’. Dorothea Mackellar wrote...<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">I love her far horizons,<br />
I love her jewel-sea,<br />
Her beauty and her terror <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">The wide brown land for me!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">I love the horizon in Australia. The sun rises and sets on it. It promises the opportunity of something new and exciting...just over the horizon. It offers the prospect of a growth and advancement. Our ancient land has profoundly shaped us as Australians. Perhaps the endless horizon has made us a nation of optimists.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">That spirit of optimism is what drives our Australians of the Year.</span>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-44171977664643864182012-01-17T10:53:00.000+11:002012-01-17T10:53:43.070+11:00Australia Day – our place in history<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6222/6307920136_779675a88f_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6222/6307920136_779675a88f_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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With Australia Day approaching fast now is a good time to think about what we celebrate on our national day and why. Australia Day started life as the anniversary of a minor movement of the First Fleet from Botany Bay where they had made landfall some eight days earlier. It wasn’t the official commissioning of the colony either, which took place on 7 February. And of course, it wasn’t the arrival of people on this great land mass, an event which took place millennia before. So it turns out that in many ways the date, 26 January, is unimportant. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And yet, this 26 January will be the 223<sup>rd</sup> time that Australians have gotten together to celebrate their good fortune and (particularly in the early days) to thank their lucky stars that they have survived another year in this great but harsh land at all. Celebrations have ebbed and flowed during that time, sometimes enjoying a great groundswell of support, at other times bearing the marks of a cultural cringe. History is rarely one straight line of smooth sailing and Australia’s history is certainly a mottled one.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today, we look forward to Australia Day in a land that enjoys one of the strongest democracies in the world. A place where our lives and lifestyles are rich and varied. A place where, for most of us, we are safe, well fed, and enjoy support from our communities. What a wonderful thing to be able to say! A quick look at how other nations are faring is enough to make us too thank our lucky stars. Australia is not perfect, however, and Australia Day is not a day to pretend that it is. Rather, it’s a great opportunity for us to band together as Australians to celebrate the good things, acknowledge the hard things, and recommit to working together to make Australia even better for the generations to come.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tam Johnston</div><div class="MsoNormal">National Program Director</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">“...Australia Day has never really been about the founding moment as such, but about Australia and Australianness in a more general sense, whatever that may mean to any particular group, at a particular time.”</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> David Andrew Roberts in <i>Turning Points in Australian History</i>.</span>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-75833684585474832452012-01-12T14:39:00.000+11:002012-01-12T14:39:29.830+11:00Reconciliation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.australiaday.org.au/media/92487/reconciliation_497x330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://www.australiaday.org.au/media/92487/reconciliation_497x330.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.australiaday.org.au/australia-day/reconciliation.aspx" target="_blank">Today the NationalAustralia Day Council launches our third Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)</a>. The plan is our statement of commitment to work towards reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples and the wider Australian community to enrich the lives of all Australians. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The NADC’s approach to Reconciliation is one of leadership. We recognise that some ATSI people and some non-ATSI Australians may have mixed feelings about celebrating this day. January 26 has multiple meanings: it is Australia Day and it is also, for some, Survival Day or Invasion Day. The NADC acknowledges that the date brings a mixture of celebration and mourning and we believe that the programs presented by the NADC should play a powerful and positive role in advancing Reconciliation. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The NADC believes that our national day should be authentic and mature where we can celebrate and mourn at the same time. We can honour all that is great about Australia and being Australian, remember the sufferings and our shortcomings and commit to build a more cohesive and inclusive nation. We do so with an underlying spirit of optimism.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We believe that the NADC’s programs play an important role in the symbolic aspects of Reconciliation. Acknowledging the contribution of ATSI people and their cultures to our past, present and future:</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li>offers an appropriate mark of respect on the national day;</li>
<li>nurtures pride amongst ATSI peoples and all Australians; and </li>
<li>raises awareness of the issues that still challenge the nation, such as the life expectancy gap between ATSI Australians and the wider community.</li>
</ul><div><div class="MsoNormal">You can view the RAP <a href="http://www.australiaday.org.au/media/188923/11600%20nadc%20reconciliation%20plan_web_far.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div></div><br />
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-70087242734684466762012-01-10T14:07:00.000+11:002012-01-10T14:07:34.620+11:00It’s all in the question mark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ceWKrsJX9N4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><i>True Blue, is it me and you?<br />
Is it Mum and Dad, is it a cockatoo?<br />
Is it standing by your mate<br />
When he's in a fight?<br />
Or will she be right?<br />
True Blue ... True Blue. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">This is the chorus from one of Australia’s folk anthems. Look how many question marks there are. John Williamson never actually answers the question what it is to be ‘true blue’?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">Discussions about Australian identity always seem to have a question at the centre. The answer to our shared identity is wonderfully elusive – just when you think you might have captured it – it slips away.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">While we might not have the exact precise set of words or an agreed sharp edged image of who we are, we still successfully live as Australians each and every day. We are a diverse people in a diverse land, valuing our democracy and our freedom and often our larrikin sense of humour.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">There is no one single answer to what’s true blue. On Australia Day there are 22.5 million ways of being true blue.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-77551866230367655722012-01-05T13:54:00.000+11:002012-01-05T13:54:13.094+11:00A Serious Sense of Humour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/kdihHnaOQsk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Government takes our humour very seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Are we the only country on earth that features a story about our national sense of humour on its official Government web portal? <a href="http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-humour" target="_blank">Check it out.</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">In the face of a harsh natural environment we seem to have developed an ability to laugh at ourselves. I love the Scared Little Weird Guys song ‘Come to Australia’.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">It makes me smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-52017417795238611472011-12-21T16:04:00.000+11:002011-12-21T16:04:16.704+11:00Aussie Clue CrackerFrom the unofficial Uluru and Surf Life Saver to the official National Flag and Australia Day, Australia has a rich array of national symbols and emblems. For a nation that often eschews the formal trappings of nationhood, we have a surprisingly impressive collection of symbols and emblems.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6BiyyEWXdDg/TvFoj5DszRI/AAAAAAAAADE/5-w-Zi-FXt8/s1600/clue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" oda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6BiyyEWXdDg/TvFoj5DszRI/AAAAAAAAADE/5-w-Zi-FXt8/s320/clue.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The NADC is pleased that mid-January we will be releasing a new digital education resource called the Aussie Clue Cracker which explores 24 national days, weeks, symbols and emblems. In playing the game we hope that students across Australia will grow their understanding of how our current symbols have been shaped by our history, and how our symbols will evolve over time. <br />
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We are delighted to publish this resource so that young Australians can learn more about their history, and in so doing shape our future.<br />
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The resource can be taught at any time in the year and will be available though <a href="http://www.australiaday.org.au/">http://www.australiaday.org.au/</a> and <a href="http://www.scootle.edu.au/">http://www.scootle.edu.au/</a> mid-January.National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-22365227458203805982011-08-30T15:14:00.000+10:002011-08-30T15:14:45.615+10:00Thoughts on our national day<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Australia Day is now a widely popular celebration of a mature nation. Australians do not need the grand symbols of the old world or the high-flying rhetoric of some new world nations. Our symbols have not been born from defeat and victory, and do not hark back to old fashioned conceptions of nationhood. We have created our own national celebration that reflects our unique story. The lack of old-styled symbols on Australia Day does not represent a lack of national maturity. Quite the opposite. On Australia Day we remember the past with a forward-looking focus.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A central symbol of the day are hundreds of future-focused Citizenship Ceremonies. On Australia Day 2011 we opened our national arms to embrace over 13,000 new citizens and with them we...</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">...affirmed our loyalty to Australia and its people,</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Whose democratic beliefs we share,</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">Whose rights and liberties we respect, </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">and whose laws we uphold and obey.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Australia Day is a powerfully inclusive, cohesive and mature symbol. We do it our own unique way.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Warren Pearson AM</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/DC_80MhrUoo/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DC_80MhrUoo&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DC_80MhrUoo&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-37142129289230603222011-07-11T16:45:00.001+10:002011-07-11T16:45:24.343+10:00What's your passion?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1207/5141156173_f0eba9a4f1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1207/5141156173_f0eba9a4f1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">If I could only use one word to describe our Australian of the Year Award recipients it would be passionate. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Regardless of their area of interest, the thing that is common to them all – and there's 51 years of evidence now – is that whatever they do, they give it 110 per cent. Not only 110 per cent of their time, but 110 per cent of their energy, their thought, their enthusiasm and their commitment. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">This is never truer that in the extraordinary year that is theirs when they are announced as Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year or Australia's Local Hero. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Does this sound like someone you know? Someone who’s making a real difference? We’d love to hear about them! You can nominate them now for the Australian of the Year Awards 2012. <o:p></o:p></span></div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-27998158924790931902011-06-29T14:50:00.001+10:002011-06-29T14:51:19.543+10:00Settlement, Invasion or both?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/First_Fleet_Reenactment_1988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" i$="true" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/First_Fleet_Reenactment_1988.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Fleet Re-enactment 1988<br />
Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Recently, the City of Sydney officially described the arrival of the British in 1788 as an ‘invasion’ shifting from the previous language of ‘arrival’. An overview of some of the issues are covered in the news.com.au article <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/city-of-sydney-officially-declares-1788-settlement-of-australia-an-invasion/story-e6frfkvr-1226083184986">“No watering down invasion truth of 1788, says indigenous leader Paul Morris”</a> as well as The Punch article <a href="http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/at-what-point-does-settlement-become-invasion/">“At what point does settlement become invasion?”</a><br />
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In the comments that followed the articles most people have taken strong positions that the arrival of white settlers in 1788 is <strong>either</strong> invasion <strong>or</strong> settlement. Is this not a bit heavy handed? History is not fixed and it can be understood in multiple ways. Surely it is both invasion <strong>and</strong> settlement. <br />
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We can understand the arrival of the First Fleet as being an invasion by armed British Marines. At the same time we can see it as being the arrival of a ragtag bunch of disposed convicts banished from their homelands. Both of these things are true and one does not preclude the truth of the other.<br />
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On Australia Day we can both commemorate and celebrate. These are not mutually exclusive.National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-30016203768364366582011-01-20T15:33:00.000+11:002011-01-20T15:33:26.239+11:00A great Australian ritual<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zrc5xkL6riQ/TTe7A1zOfdI/AAAAAAAAAC8/SeiBOW4hIX0/s1600/Pic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zrc5xkL6riQ/TTe7A1zOfdI/AAAAAAAAAC8/SeiBOW4hIX0/s320/Pic1.jpg" width="320" /></a>I’ve had this cartoon pinned up in my work station since I first saw it in 2005. On Australia Day we wear our national identity and symbols lightly.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Australia Day is not an occasion for great rhetoric or formal ceremony. Rather we mark the day in thousands of small and large events across the nation. We get together with family, friends, neighbours and even strangers to celebrate the great fortune of being Australian. </div><br />
Our other national day, ANZAC Day, has strong symbols: the digger, bugle call, wreaths and rosemary, even a biscuit. Australia Day has never had a civic ritual which binds the occasion. Australia was not born in revolution and our independence from Britain has been a slow evolution. It could be argued our independence is not yet complete for our head of state is not an Australian citizen. <br />
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Our pragmatic evolution as a nation has left us no legacy of symbolic civic ritual. We cannot read a declaration of independence, we cannot celebrate the defeat of an enemy, and we cannot celebrate national unification. What we do have is the freedom to celebrate our national day in any manner we wish – from going to the beach to watching the big concert on the ABC or perhaps attending a citizenship ceremony.<br />
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We do not need elaborate rituals for our authentic celebration - we simply get together in groups large and small to celebrate Australia and being Australian.<br />
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Arthur Phillip had been at sea for eight and a half months and surely needed to take the day off on 26 January 1788. Two hundred and twenty three years later a public holiday on our national day has become our authentic ritual. <br />
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Warren PearsonNational Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-62566485409204935362011-01-10T14:57:00.000+11:002011-01-10T14:57:46.250+11:00Racist or Patriot?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zrc5xkL6riQ/TSqDa0rUKKI/AAAAAAAAAC4/AOJKosuJNok/s1600/blog6pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zrc5xkL6riQ/TSqDa0rUKKI/AAAAAAAAAC4/AOJKosuJNok/s320/blog6pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Not every young person draped in the flag is a racist. <br />
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On Australia Day over 50% of Australians will attend public events or get together with family and friends for the specific purpose of celebrating Australia Day. In recent years we have seen a surge in young Australians celebrating Australia Day – and often they drape themselves in the flag or paint it on their face. Is this a happy expression of benign patriotism or is it an expression of xenophobia? <br />
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While Australia is not a racist nation there is no denying that some Australians are racist. It is a genuine concern that some use our national day to promote their narrow view of what it is to be Australian. <br />
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If a true patriot is someone who loves and defends their country, then a true patriot will stand against racism. We all have a responsibility to ensure that our national day is inclusive for all of our 22 million fellow Australians. <br />
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Some people wear the flag to claim it exclusively for their narrow and exclusionary view of being Australian. Others wear the flag to celebrate a nation which is an overwhelmingly open and inclusive society.<br />
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We must be careful not to assume that all young people draped in the flag are racist xenophobes.National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-72100018364290470072011-01-06T10:17:00.001+11:002011-01-06T10:17:56.973+11:00Australians All?Australia Day is just 21 days away and it is the time I think about what our national day means. Australia Day does not mark a defining moment in history that can be commonly and equally celebrated by all Australians. <br />
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The date, January 26, recalls the day of British settlement, one defining moment on the path to modern nationhood. For many Australians, British settlement represents invasion, loss, or something alien to their experience and identity.<br />
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What is celebrated on Australia Day, even how we celebrate Australia Day, remains contested. This is not surprising given the ongoing evolution and multiplicity of Australian identity. It would be deeply problematic if Australia Day celebrated a singular experience of Australia and being Australian. <br />
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While many Australians bring a healthy scepticism and larrikin irreverence to their national day, most take their responsibilities as citizens seriously. Australia is not a nation of spontaneous flag-wavers – we are a nation of organised flag-wavers.<br />
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Providing event and communication opportunities through which Australians can demonstrate their national spirit is the work of the National Australia Day Council. On Australia Day the Council seeks to highlight the best of the Australian experience so that Australians might reflect upon their shared and varied experience.<br />
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The Council has not attempted to produce a reductive account of the Australian experience. Rather, we have sought to acknowledge and embrace the diversity of national experience and the contested meanings and modes of celebrating Australia Day. In acknowledging, and embracing the contestation, diversity has become a means of making the day more broadly accessible and inclusive.<br />
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Despite the increasingly cosmopolitan character of modern Australia, the celebration of Australia Day is growing and developing in ways that reflect, and facilitate, a more widely shared appreciation of the anniversary and its meanings. The aim is to see Australia Day become a day of celebration for Australians, a day on which all can celebrate together all that is great about Australia and being Australian.<br />
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Warren Pearson<br />
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Adapted from a previously published paper<br />
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Pearson, W. and O’Neill, G. (2009) ‘Australia Day: A day for all Australians’ in McCrone, D. and McPherson, G. (eds) National Days. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan pp. 73-88.National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-3224215982705101072010-08-18T12:53:00.006+10:002010-08-18T14:17:42.264+10:00Learning from our Australians of the Year<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There’s a lot of talk these days about role models. As the lure of celebrity continues to grow, it seems that it’s pop starlets, football stars and anyone who’s had their fifteen minutes of fame who are set up as examples to follow, particularly for our kids. And far too often, these people seem to be letting us down with their all too human behaviour. It can make us sceptical about looking up to anyone at all.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And yet, accepting people’s humanness as part of the package, there is still much to be said for having role models and mentors who can inspire us to reach that little bit higher. That’s what the Australian of the Year Awards is all about. It’s about providing a broad range of alternatives to Britney and Paris. Each year, 128 Australians, from all walks of life are acknowledged as finalists and recipients for the Awards. That’s 128 stories of people who are making a real difference – many of whom are every day Australians you’ve probably never heard of. Each of them excels in their field of endeavour, has the potential to inspire us and is making a marked contribution to their communities and Australia as a whole. Of course, come 25 January, there can only be one Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Australia’s Local Hero.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Over the past five or so years, I have had the privilege of getting to know these extraordinary Australians for myself. And they’ve taught me a thing or two along the way.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Firstly, each of them will tell you that they were just doing what they had to do – going about their business. For each of them, going the extra mile, working hard and harnessing their talents and passion to make a difference are just things that they do. That’s not to say that it’s always been easy. If fact, many of our Australians of the Year have paid dearly for their commitment…but these sacrifices are made willingly and without thought of reward. Not in some unrealistic, moralistic kind of way, but driven by passion and determination. It’s part of who they are.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Secondly, they feel the weight of responsibility that comes with such an honour. Being THE Australian of the Year is a very big deal for anyone, and generally not one that any of our award recipients ever expected to encounter. They genuinely want to do their very best to fulfil the role in a way which will do Australia proud. While it’s not always widely known, every Australian of the Year I have known has given above and beyond of their time and energy throughout their year, talking to school children and community groups, participating in public discourse and getting out to talk with Australians all over the nation, including in remote areas. The gift of their time is precious. They all have jobs and families and other commitments which are heavily stretched during their time as Australian of the Year. And yet, all give this time with a wonderful grace and good humour.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Finally, they are human. Like the rest of us, they will occasionally have a bad day. But what I’ve learned is that this doesn’t make them any less worthy of our admiration and respect. Rather, it demonstrates that even the best of us have to pick ourselves up and start again once in a while. That’s life, and the ability to do that, with 21 million Australians watching, is something that I admire greatly.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This year, we will be celebrating the 50<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> anniversary of the Australian of the Year Awards. Hopefully, this will be an opportunity to get to know a few more of this amazing group. I know I won’t be disappointed. Not because they’re perfect, but because they’ve put themselves on the line to make a difference and that’s something to be proud of. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.australiaday.org.au/experience/page236.asp">Tam Johnston</a></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/">Click here</a> to check out the stories of our past Australians of the Year.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Do you know someone who makes you proud? Why not nominate them? <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-10426636189890824822010-08-09T14:44:00.004+10:002010-08-18T12:51:05.007+10:00Bogan Day, I mean Australia Day<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">T</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">his is the title of a video rant posted by AngryAussie on You Tube two years ago. I missed it until I was surfing the web this week. While I don’t agree with all AngryAussie said, nor the way he said it, I laughed allot and agreed with his broad intention. If you can cope with his language, it is worth your time to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGRoo1W5UxQ">watch here</a>. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of his rambling statements stood out for me.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Who gives a ... [toss] what you are proud of [on Australia Day]?</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>What have you done that Australia should be proud of you?</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We have nothing to be proud of if we are not all actively engaged in building the Australia we want for the future. On Australia Day we can we can all ask ourselves – what am I doing of which I can be proud?</span><br />
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<div align="right"><a href="http://www.australiaday.org.au/experience/page149.asp"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Warren Pearson</span></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-13811118688269356002010-01-20T17:47:00.000+11:002010-01-20T17:47:21.885+11:00What is the positive legacy of the convicts and their captors?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is sometimes joked that the British sent their worst subjects to be punished on the best beaches in the world. After a shaky start, there is considerable irony in the success of the colony of New South Wales which, along with its sister colonies, grew in prosperity and stability to peacefully federate as the Commonwealth of Australia. This was achieved a little over one hundred years after the arrival of the First Fleet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With 26 January 1788 marking the occupation of the continent by the British, it must be acknowledged that there was little irony for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Dispossession, discrimination and death of the first Australians is a tragic aspect of the Australian story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Fully acknowledging the impact on Aboriginal peoples and despite the varied acknowledgment of the convicts over the years, Australia Day has always recalled the day of British settlement, one of many defining moments on the path to modern nationhood.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Arthur Phillip brought on his ships of the First Fleet the beginnings of the rule of law, democracy, liberal ideas and some spirit of egalitarianism that was well expressed in his proclamation that ‘there can be no slavery in a free land, and consequently no slaves’. From these ideas came our political institutions and aspects of our national identity which we still live today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">An important facet of our national identity is the much lauded mateship. Mix a ragtag group of British folk struggling to eke out an existence on a strange and foreign continent with the notion of egalitarianism, and you end up with the beginnings of a spirit of mateship in the early colony. Decades later, the Gallipoli experience strongly galvanised mateship as dominant national myth. While I strongly question the universality of mateship in Australia, I certainly see a spirit of mateship: treating others as though you are their friend – even when they are unknown to you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is interesting to compare the cultures born of the arrival of the convicts and captors in Sydney with the arrival of the pilgrims in Plymouth in North America. The first modern Australians were banished to the other side of the earth where they would seek to build an existence together: the result a modern nation celebrating ‘a fair go’ and the spirit of mateship. The first modern Americans voyaging to the other side of the Atlantic in order to express their freedom of religion and to maintain their cultural identity: the result a modern nation emphasising liberty and prosperity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If La Perouse had arrived before Cook or if the Dutch had done more than nail a plate to a tree on the west coast (such was the limit of my primary school history), things might have been very different. But as history would have it, the arrival of the British convicts and their captors has profoundly shaped modern Australia. On Australia Day we cannot help but celebrate the arrival of the British who brought the underpinnings of the institutions and laws which have served us well. So too we can celebrate the cultural values which have evolved to shape our contemporary national identity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Not bad for a bunch of crooks.</span>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-80261910513058311822010-01-11T11:50:00.001+11:002010-01-11T11:52:45.131+11:00Symbols Matter<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">What do a stuffed Aborigine and the Queen have in common? The answer is Australia Day 1961.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I am pleased that it was a different Australia Day organiser than me, and one from an earlier generation in 1961. Professor McMahon Ball described one function he attended where</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">...immense care had been taken to make the stage platform an expression of what Australia stood for. This had been achieved by putting a stuffed kangaroo and emu on the right, stuffed aborigine on the left, and a coloured portrait of the Queen in the centre.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">An earlier generation still had an even more exclusionary attitude to the Aboriginal people. When preparing for the centenary in 1888, and when asked about what he had planned for the Aboriginal people, Henry Parkes Premier of NSW responded, 'And remind them that we have robbed them?'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Symbols matter and our national day is a very powerful symbol. Symbols can build up or symbols can put down. The description of 1961 seems to categorise the ‘aborigine’ as wildlife, a notion which is now, thankfully, unthinkable. Her Majesty, however, is realised in full colour. Knowingly leaving the whole indigenous population out of the centenary celebrations possibly makes an even more powerful statement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Thank goodness much has changed in recent decades. We are getting better at recognising the unique place Aboriginal people have in our history and our present. The Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 provided an uplifting moment when in the opening ceremony Djakapurra Munyarryun walked out onto the arena hand-in-hand with Nicky Webster. A wonderful symbol of reconciliation – walking together into the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Australia Day is a symbol – a symbol of who we are and what we choose to celebrate. It is a day when we talk about our strengths and achievements as a nation. It is also a time to talk about our future as a people – to share ideas for the future – to address our weakness and challenges.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In recent decades tokenistic representations if Indigenous Australians have been replaced by real people. People who’s contribution to the fabric of the nation can be celebrated. People who at an Australia Day event might welcome you to their country and share a story with you. Real people who have great pride in their enduring culture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Symbols matter. Australia Day must be a day to honestly acknowledge our past, rejoice in the present and look confidently to the future. Australia Day must be inclusive of all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While we have come so far in many respects, I suspect that generations to come might be puzzled by the fact that it still remains a formal requirement to display a portrait of the Queen at Citizenship Ceremonies on Australia Day.</span><br />
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<div align="right"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://www.australiaday.org.au/experience/page149.asp">Warren Pearson</a></span><br />
</div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-55046674751036296452009-12-23T11:02:00.001+11:002009-12-23T11:03:22.185+11:00Where have all the convicts gone?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I once was an English teacher. On a Friday afternoon late in the year I ducked out of the classroom to retrieve a book from the staffroom. On my return I found Melissa Cassel, the dux of the year, in blue-eyed tears. She was sobbing because Tran Phuong had called her ‘a convict’. I am not sure what racial slight Melissa might have passed on Phuong to receive the response she did.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The convicts arrived on 26 January 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip had the Union Jack raised on the shore of Sydney Cove to proclaim the newest British colony – New South Wales. The 750 convicts he had transported across the globe however remained on board the fleet of ships viewing the proceedings from afar. In the founding of the colony, the convicts were absent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ironically it was emancipated convicts who first began celebrating First Landing Day. Many had thrived in the colony and celebrated their good fortune with an annual anniversary dinner. In later times the Anniversary Day celebrations were led by Currency Lads and Lasses and then by the Australian Natives Association in the colony of Victoria.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By the centenary in 1888, the penal beginnings of Australia had become a ‘stain’ and they were a blot on the celebrations. In Adelaide the anniversary was considered linked to the ‘unpleasing circumstances of [New South Wales’] early occupation' while in Brisbane it was noted that Australia has been infected with 'the cancer of convictism'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In 1938, the sesqui-centenary year, the convict embarrassment was at a peak. There was no mention of convicts in the official parade in Sydney, and convicts were absent in the officially commissioned historical painting of the 1788 event. In a day of re-enactments, did no one notice their absence?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In recent decades much has changed and many Australians now choose celebrate their convict ancestors. Despite this new embrace of convict heritage, the convicts remain absent from celebrations on Australia Day. But now also absent in contemporary celebrations are Arthur Phillip’s, his crew and marines. I suspect that for many, re-enacting the role of the convicts and their captors on Australia Day would be an awkward reminder of the unwelcome arrival of the First Fleet for the original inhabitants of this land. This is a real and valid concern.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Perhaps Phuong’s direct hit was aimed not just at Melissa but at the nation more generally. Why should the modern nation be embarrassed about the circumstances of its founding? Melissa’s tears might have been born of confusion and loss, rather than of embarrassment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On that hot Friday afternoon close to Christmas I was laughing inside as I tried to smooth the tension in the classroom. I was rather impressed by Phuong who was Melissa’s rival as dux. What a smart insult, I thought. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But back the question - where have all the convicts gone? They were absent in the beginning, then they were central to the celebrations and then they disappeared again. Is it time to bring back the convicts? Is it time to at least consider how the foundation of the colony of NSW has profoundly shaped the contemporary nation we celebrate on 26 January each year?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">How can we appropriately bring back the convicts? What is the positive legacy of the convicts and their captors?</span><br />
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<div align="right"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://www.australiaday.org.au/experience/page149.asp">Warren Pearson</a></span><br />
</div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-28932110031440594432009-12-18T11:57:00.006+11:002009-12-18T12:06:41.453+11:00Nationalism is the evil cousin of Patriotism<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The title of this blog is a quote I heard at a recent ethnic affairs conference in Shepparton, Victoria. I sometimes think that people collapse these concepts to be the same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Patriotism is a good thing. Patriotism means that you are committed to your nation and the welfare of your fellow citizens. Being proud of your nation is critical if we are to address our shared challenges for you don’t invest time and effort on projects about which you don’t care.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Nationalism is the chauvinistic and insular cousin of patriotism. Its premise is the superiority of a select group to the exclusion of others. Blind pride allows for no self-reflection and therefore provides no opportunity to grow and develop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Australia Day is a day for inclusive patriotism. It is an occasion to celebrate the achievements of our fellow citizens with our fellow citizens. It is a day to celebrate all <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">that is great about Australia and being Australian. It is a day for patriotism – it is not day for nationalism.</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.australiaday.org.au/experience/page149.asp"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Warren Pearson</span></a><br />
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</div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-65947264759497764342009-11-13T17:18:00.002+11:002009-12-18T11:58:13.804+11:00Citizenship is something we doWhen the Howard government introduced a formal citizenship test to replace the former less formal oral test, there was much public debate about Australian values. The question was asked: is there a unique set of Australian values? <br />
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In answering this question some said ‘no’: Australian civic values are common to most western liberal democracies. Others said ‘no’: Australian values are universal human values.<br />
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At one level these statements are true, but I answer ‘yes’. When you write our values, they are generic. When Australians live the values, they are unique.<br />
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Australia’s civic aspirations are perhaps best expressed in text in the words of the Australian Citizenship Pledge.<br />
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I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its People,<br />
whose democratic beliefs I share,<br />
whose rights and liberties I respect, and<br />
whose laws I will uphold and obey.<br />
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Bob Carr said that "There’s nothing flowery or poetic about these words, but their force and clarity never fails to stir..." <br />
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As good as these words are, they are not particularly unique to Australia. You could replace the name ‘Australia’ with ‘New Zealand’ or even ‘Canada’ and it would sound right to our Aussie ear.<br />
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I recently read in the Museum of Australian Democracy in Old Parliament House that citizenship is not something you have. Rather, citizenship is something you do. It is the way Australians live and enact the values of liberal democracy and the rule of law that make the values and uniquely Australian.<br />
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Many of the basic tenants of Australia’s political and legal system were borrowed from other nations. These foreign tenants and institutions have been profoundly shaped by the Australian people – by generations of migration, our first Australians, and by the continent’s unique climates and landscapes.<br />
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No other nation has had a Harvester judgement or a Mabo judgement. Few other nations have compulsory elections. Our policy of multi-culturalism was uniquely shaped to Australia. In few other nations does the Prime Minister invite you to call him by his first name.<br />
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Australia’s civic values are made unique by the way we live them. And the way we live them, is shaped by the generations that have come before us and the unique landscape of our island nation. <br />
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Citizenship is something we do.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.australiaday.org.au/experience/page149.asp">Warren Pearson</a><br />
</div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580019836259551984.post-4513244204518366182009-11-06T12:16:00.002+11:002009-11-06T12:51:58.228+11:00Welcome to the Australian Being blog<div>We have a great job at the National Australia Day Council. Our work involves communicating and organising events and activities for Australia Day on 26 January, as well as coordinating the public nominations and selections of the Australian of the Year Awards. We’re a small team of 13 working year round on these projects.<br />
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As part of our work, almost every day we talk about what it means to be Australian and what we celebrate on Australia Day. We thought it was about time to have some of these conversations with you, and get your perspective on being Australian, Australian identity, the history that has shaped us, what is great about our nation today and how we can make Australia even better in future.<br />
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The National Australia Day Council leads a network of eight state and territory Australia Day Councils and Committees and hundreds of local committees and organisers around the country. Our mission is to inspire national pride and spirit to enrich the life of the nation. We’re an non-profit, government-owned company and our operations are overseen by a board of Directors. You can see more about us at <a href="http://www.australiaday.org.au/">http://www.australiaday.org.au/</a> – About Us – National.<br />
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We hope you find this blog at least interesting, and maybe even thought-provoking. The one thing we ask is that if you’re going to post a comment, you be considerate and polite in your response.<br />
</div>National Australia Day Councilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370091290340419660noreply@blogger.com2