It’s been a major tourist drawcard, but Australia Day will no longer be celebrated with a bang in the city of Fremantle, Western Australia, with the annual fireworks display now cancelled in deference to the feelings of indigenous Australians.
With Australia Day marking the beginning of white settlement, many indigenous people see it as a day of sorrow and not celebration – dubbing it Invasion Day or Survival Day.
‘There has been a growing movement that January 26 is increasingly becoming a day that is “not for all Australians”. For many Aboriginal Australians it is indeed a day of sadness and dispossession,’ explains Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt of the controversial decision.
‘This does not just refer to indigenous involvement but the involvement of many other Australians who feel increasingly uncomfortable with the date and what it represents.
‘The city has received significant feedback supporting the idea of reimagining our Australia Day celebrations from both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.’
But Warren Mundine, Chair of the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council, said the council’s decision was wrong.
‘I think it’s a silly decision,’ he said.
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