Education Minister Jason Clare has described the political debate about changing the date of Australia Day as a “false battle,” stating that the government has no plans to change January 26.
This comes despite an election promise from Peter Dutton to enshrine the day in legislation if the coalition wins the government this year.
The comments from the opposition leader follow an online poll that found only 12% of more than 21,000 participants supported changing the date, with the overwhelming majority (87%) calling for things to remain as they are.
Speaking on Sunrise, Mr. Clare accused Mr. Dutton of using the January 26 debate as a distraction, targeting the coalition’s recent election promise to allow small businesses to claim up to $20,000 in tax deductions for food and entertainment expenses.
“The date won’t change… we have the same false battle every year,” he said. “We are the best country in the world. Australia Day is a great opportunity to celebrate.”
“This is just another distraction from Dutton to hide this awful policy. I know there’s a foul-smelling flower in Sydney today. The real stink here is the idea that taxpayers should pay for their boss’s lunch, and you’re still not telling us how much that’s going to cost.”
Mr. Clare also pointed out that Australia Day is already considered a public holiday under national employment standards, making additional legislation unnecessary.
“It’s already in the Fair Work Act… which is why I say this is a false battle to distract from Peter Dutton’s crazy policy mess.”
However, his training partner, Susan Lee, referenced the Labor Party’s move in 2022 to allow councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on the three days surrounding Australia Day, acknowledging that for many Indigenous communities, the day is considered a day of mourning.
Mr. Dutton also stated he would abolish the citizenship clause within the first 100 days of a newly elected coalition government.
Ms. Lee said, “Well, because Labor tried to give councils the option to move the date to celebrate citizenship ceremonies, then the Prime Minister and Jason realized that Australians don’t actually want that at all; they want Australia Day to be a special day, and they want citizenship ceremonies on that day.”
While Mr. Dutton has been outspoken in his support for Australia Day, calling it a day of “national pride,” he has also urged people to “boycott” businesses that do not support the national day.
“I think this means our national pride can become something we celebrate again. Everyone should be respected, but these businesses that boycott Australia Day, boycott them,” he said on Friday.