Megan Davis writes in The Conversation (25.1.21) about the debate over the contentious date of Australia Day, and how it obscures an achievable path for meaningful national change through the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
'We are on the eve of the nation’s annual ritual of celebrating the arrivals, while not formally recognising the ancient peoples who were dispossessed.
'Each year the tensions spill over, rendering Australia Day/Invasion Day/Survival Day a protest as much as a celebration. But there is a quiet process underway, aimed at achieving substantive recognition of the First Nations that has so far eluded Australia.
'… This is now an opportunity for Australians and First Nations peoples to make their views clearly heard. It is only an interim report, and it requires the feedback of many.
'All Australians want to find a way through the annual debates about Captain Cook, the First Fleet and national identity, to a more inclusive and nuanced narrative of who we are.'
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