The invasion of Australia Day

New Politics: Australian Politics

In our final episode in the summer series, we review Australia Day, also known as Invasion Day, Survival Day and Day of Mourning, First Landing Day, Foundation Day, Anniversary Day, ANA Day… but whatever it’s called, January 26 is a problematic day, most definitely for many Indigenous people, but increasingly for the non-Indigenous community as well.
January 26 also seems to ignite the annual Culture War in Australia, albeit, a little bit early this year with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's decision to boycott Woolworths for not stocking Australia Day items.
The conservative media amplify these conflicts, creating 'imaginary enemies' like Australian cricketer Pat Cummins, who expressed discomfort with Australia Day – and of course, was targeted by Liberal Party identities and mainstream media for questioning Australia Day.
Despite which government in power, these issues are magnified similarly each year by these conservative players, which is all about leveraging cultural conflicts for political gain, distracting from substantive policy issues like the economy, housing, health, and education.