The debate over whether Australians should celebrate Australian Day or replace it with Invasion Day could be settled by putting it to a vote, suggests Nationals senator Matt Canavan.
Australia Day, Jan. 26, marks the day when Captain Arthur Phillip’s First Fleet arrived in Sydney Cove (now known as Circular Quay) and claimed the southern continent for the British Crown. It is perceived by the majority of Australians as a celebratory occasion to commemorate the birth of their liberal democracy.
But in recent years, the public holiday day has become the focus of Indigenous rights activists who view the event as the start of an invasion….