I HAVE not been one to regularly engage with The Bunyip, but I am incredibly glad I stumbled across your State of debate editorial in last week’s paper.
As a community member who feels their views are rarely reflected in these pages, your words certainly resonated with me.
I want to contribute to filling the void that is ‘the other side of the argument’.
I find the divisiveness of the discourse surrounding January 26 rather confusing.
The essence of the issue is that the date that was selected in 1994 to mark the ‘Australia Day’ public holiday inflicts significant harm on a substantial portion of the nation’s population.
I struggle to understand why anyone would knowingly support the continued infliction of harm and hardship on others.
I understand that the conversation is much more complex than this, but I also believe that it does not need to be if we approach socio-political issues with empathy and a willingness to listen and learn.
I acknowledge that having a public holiday to celebrate Australia and being Australian is important to many members of the community.
But I also wonder how these members of the community would be harmed if their celebration was to take place on a different date.
I wonder how celebrating the exact same things on a different date would irrevocably alter their experience.
And I really wonder what underpins any strong opposition to changing the date when this is fundamental to achieving the unity and community cohesion many claim to desire.
I would also like to quickly point out that any concern about the Voice to Parliament leading to people ‘being divided on the base of race’ is awfully gauche when we continue to benefit from the oppression, exploitation and disempowerment of Indigenous peoples.
Hanna Kingsmill, Korunye.
