The divisive debate of when Day should be celebrated was reignited on The Project on Sunday night, with the panellists weighing in on the controversial topic.
After a segment about a new survey showing that 9 in 10 Aussies think January 26 should remain Day, hosts Sarah Harris and Rachel Corbett had their say.
‘I’m out of step with the majority here because while I’m very proud of the country that I live in, I don’t look at Day and think back on that First Fleet of people coming in… it doesn’t hold any nostalgic significance for me,’ Corbett said.
‘But for a group of people, it is a very painful day that represents the end of their way of life and not just people coming in and saying you don’t matter … you don’t exist.’
Corbett added that from her point of view, ‘my feelings of “whatever” about that day are way less important than their feelings of real passion about it.
‘And from my perspective, I would rather their feelings take precedent over my “I don’t care when this day is”.
She also questioned why people want to keep Day on January 26.
‘I’m not sure a huge amount of people that I know have a feeling of real attachment to Day for any other reason than it is a chance to go and have a barbecue with friends,’ Corbett said.
Harris added that ‘Many in my circle are excited to celebrate Day but not particularly on that date.
‘For 10 years, there has been back and forth about when we put it on and I think people want to celebrate all that is good in this country.’
Corbett responded to that, saying ‘But we can celebrate that and still recognise that it is still a traumatic time for people as well.’
As the segment wrapped up, comedian Sam Taunton suggested the date be changed to October 29 – his birthday.
In previous years, Invasion Day rallies – organised to protest against Day – in Sydney often attracted around 15,000 marchers.
But this year, the NSW Police estimate the number fell by almost 50 per cent to around 8,000.
In Brisbane, the numbers were also way down, with the protest barely moving beyond the Queens Gardens – a far cry from the tens of thousands of protesters it previously attracted.
Only ‘s protest capital – Melbourne – lived up to expectations, with the 30,000 attendees forecast by the organisers seeming to have been achieved.
But despite the steep fall in protester numbers in some cities and towns, that doesn’t seem to have been replaced by patriotic fervour.
Despite polls showing a resurgence of enthusiasm for celebrating Day on January 26 there was little overt patriotism on display at Sydney’s Bondi Beach even compared to just a few years prior.
While sun-seekers flocked to the sand to enjoy an ideal beach day of blue skies with temperatures hovering around the mid 20s on Sunday, there were few Aussie flags or other national insignia and colours to be seen.
The only visible nod to the national day were a couple of men wearing Aussie flag caps or T-shirts and the occasional temporary tattoo.
This contrasts to photos from 2022 showing a different scene altogether, with many women donning n bikinis and hats, while others even draped themselves in the national flag.