Sean K
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Australia Day
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JohnDe
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If the Australia’s high commissioner to Britain Stephen Smith is too busy or doesn't believe in Australia Day, he should resign.
The high commissioner said he would snub Australia Day celebrations for a second year in a row, after he signalled to organisers he may not be in London for the event.
Mr Smith ignited controversy last year when he informed organisers he would not be opening the doors to the Exhibition Hall of the Australian high commission in London for the gala. He reportedly cited concerns it would not be appropriate to hold the dinner around January 26, which marks the First Fleet’s landing in Sydney in 1788.
Richard Alston slams UK envoy Stephen Smith over Australia Day ‘activism’
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Australia’s high commissioner to Britain Stephen Smith. Picture: Ella Pellegrini
Former Australian high commissioner to Britain Richard Alston has accused his successor Stephen Smith of “indulging his own prejudices”, “alienating every Australian in London”, and hating socialising after he backtracked on his plan to skip Australia Day celebrations.
After Mr Smith sparked uproar when he informed organisers he would not be attending a gala dinner celebrating the national day because he may not be in London, before reversing his position, Mr Alston declared the high commissioner “clearly doesn’t enjoy the job and hates the socialising”.
Mr Alston – a former Liberal Party president and Howard government minister who served as high commissioner between 2005 and 2008 – said Mr Smith treated the commission’s lavish residence, Stoke Lodge, as his “private home”, and “effectively refuses” to make the manor house available for functions.
The high commissioner said he had been “able to rearrange his official travel plans” following revelations in The Australian that he would snub Australia Day celebrations for a second year in a row, after he signalled to organisers he may not be in London for the event.
Mr Smith ignited controversy last year when he informed organisers he would not be opening the doors to the Exhibition Hall of the Australian high commission in London for the gala. He reportedly cited concerns it would not be appropriate to hold the dinner around January 26, which marks the First Fleet’s landing in Sydney in 1788.
“Stephen Smith’s behaviour has not been in Australia’s best interests, simply indulging his own prejudices and alienating every Australian in London,” Mr Alston said.
“He clearly doesn’t enjoy the job and hates the socialising, effectively refuses to make the High Commission or the residence accessible for functions, despite them having been open to visiting Australians since time immemorial. It treats the residence as his private home, which it is not. It is an Australian hosting venue.”
Mr Alston said Mr Smith’s backflip was clearly the result of pressure from the government over his “misguided activism”.
“His refusal to come clean on his real reasons suggest that he is off on a frolic of his own, and that both DFAT and the Prime Minister do not support his misguided activism,” Mr Alston said.
“I knew him quite well in government, and found him both pleasant and sensible. I do not recognise his current incarnation.
“His caving is clearly a result of pressure from the government back home, and is a big slap in the face to him.”
Mr Smith, who was hand-picked by Anthony Albanese for the role, will deliver a “personal message” from the Prime Minister at the fundraiser dinner, which is attended by some of the nation’s most prominent business and industry leaders living in Britain. The event is traditionally held on the closest Saturday to Australia Day, this year falling on January 25.
“The high commission will be hosting a series of Australia Day events in the week leading up to Australia Day given Australia Day falls on a Sunday,” a spokesman for the Australian high commission in London said.
“The high commissioner has now been able to rearrange his official travel plans in order to attend the Australia Day Gala dinner on Saturday 25 January for the purpose of delivering a personal message from the Prime Minister to the dinner.”
Peter Dutton has accused Mr Smith of being “ashamed” of the national day, saying he should be “looking for a new job” if he does not believe in Australia Day.
“We have the institutions here in our country that make us a great democracy, freedom of speech, we have the ability to contribute in an egalitarian way and that is to be celebrated,” Mr Dutton said.
Mr Smith, a former Labor cabinet minister, has reportedly sought to eradicate parties from the social calendar since assuming the role in January 2023.
Mr Smith, a former Labor cabinet minister, has reportedly sought to eradicate parties from the social calendar since assuming the role in January 2023. His sidelining of major British-Australian charities and organisations has angered business leaders who have called him “a functionary, not a diplomat”.
One of Mr Smith’s ideas, which horrified expats, was to turn the century-old Australia House building in The Strand into offices. The building is used for diplomatic functions including an Indigenous fashion show during London Fashion Week.
Additional reporting: Jacquelin Magnay
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he has done pretty well out of his position. Who is he to say no to Australia Day. Unless of course he is a First people masquerading as a white Australian.
IFocus
You are arguing with a Galah
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Just wish they would change Jan 26 to what if is and that's British settlement day celebrate it for what the day is and chose a day all Australians including the 1st mob here can enjoy.
This is so we can at least grow up and be adults and stop the falsehood that the 26th represents anything else.
Unfortunately wont happen example is Charles II (Big Ears) is still our leader.
This is so we can at least grow up and be adults and stop the falsehood that the 26th represents anything else.
Unfortunately wont happen example is Charles II (Big Ears) is still our leader.
JohnDe
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Looks like a line in the sand moment -
Mr Dutton said the Coalition would act quickly to reintroduce the requirement.
“Would we reinstate the requirement for councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day? You bet it’ll be done in the first 100 days, and it will be a sign of pride and nationalism in our country,” he said.
“So the Prime Minister sent a signal to those councils that Australia Day didn’t matter, but that’s exactly what it did,” Mr Dutton said.
The Opposition Leader also accused government appointees, such as Stephen Smith, of being ashamed of Australia, a sentiment he said was incomprehensible to him.
JohnDe
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I've never gone out of my way to celebrate Australia Day, but I have attended a few celebrations over the years and organised one for my family at home in front of the pool many years ago. I have always thought that Federation Day would be a better day to celebrate. However, I strongly believe that the majority should not be bullied by a vocal minority.
And I feel the vibe of change happening.
And I feel the vibe of change happening.
Even if we became a republic, created Sorry Day, changed the date of Australia Day, voted yes to an Indigenous voice, and renamed every town and river with Aboriginal names, it still wouldn’t satisfy the insatiable demands of woke ideologues.
Like dealing with an abusive partner, the only solution is to refuse to be denigrated.
There are malevolent actors out there who would like to see the West and its values destroyed. We know that you can’t placate them or politely request respect. The only option is to stop playing their game.
It’s the same for those who want us to feel ashamed for celebrating the national day on January 26: stop trying to placate them by removing Australia Day products from shelves or changing the date.
Look out, there’s a new vibe about our national day
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Crowds gather at Bondi Beach on Australia Day in 2024. Picture: Tom Parrish
Let’s face it – over the past few years, celebrating Australia Day has become a bit on the nose, especially among university-educated types.
Head to more working-class areas, like my home town of Newcastle, and you’ll still see plenty of people celebrating. But in the city, it’s almost taboo.
This is a far cry from what I – and probably many of you – experienced growing up. Clearly, something has changed.
For me, the biggest milestone was in 2017, when my (then) beloved Triple J stopped hosting the Hottest 100 on January 26. That was the nail in the coffin. From then on, celebrating Australia Day became entirely outside the Overton window.
Last Australia Day, down at Bondi Beach, I noticed something weird: not a single Australian flag in sight. Sure, a helicopter flew one over the beach a few times (God knows who paid for that), but no flags on towels, bikinis, or even the backs of sunburnt blokes.
Australia Day isn’t seen as a day of celebration anymore. For many, it’s morphed into a public exercise in self-flagellation.
Even my father, proudly displaying an Australian flag in our front yard, was asked by a friend’s wife: “Why do you have that swastika in your yard?”
After October 7, I attended a rally for Israel where I saw a man wearing an iconic red cap. I initially assumed it was a MAGA hat, but it actually said “Make Australia Great Again”.
I complimented him on it, but moments later he was questioned by police. I can only assume it was because he was a white male, alone, in a Trump-style hat.
A few years back, Cricket Australia announced it would avoid referencing Australia Day during its matches, only to backtrack after a public outcry. Meanwhile, in 2017, councils in Fremantle, Yarra and Darebin stopped holding citizenship ceremonies on January 26, prompting backlash from then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Retailers have also waded in – last year Woolworths said it would no longer stock Australia Day merchandise, only to reverse that decision recently, announcing Australia Day products will return in 2025.
Australia Day celebrations.
Woolworths clearly feels the vibe shift of 2025. And it’s not just Woolworths. I’ve spoken to people around the world who sense it too. Commentator and historian Niall Ferguson senses it. Without us even realising it, it feels like celebrating Australia Day is becoming acceptable again. It’s not just the holiday itself – it’s what it represents.
Increasingly, not only Australians but many in the West are refusing to feign guilt for who we are. The years of shaming “white colonists” have lost their grip. I’m not saying the shaming will stop, but it no longer wields the power it once did.
Ferguson argues that this shift is thanks to Donald Trump’s re-election, and I agree. His victory signalled that ordinary Americans want to prioritise their country and are tired of woke ideology and its shame-driven identity politics.
No doubt, Australia Day will still see protests.
Your social media will be full of keffiyeh-clad arts students calling it Invasion Day. But I’d bet good money that Bondi Beach will have more people decked out in Aussie gear than last year.
As Pascal Bruckner wrote in perhaps my favourite Quillette essay, Europe (and I’d argue Australia too) is consumed by guilt. Unlike the US, which severed its ties with Europe, Australia remains tethered to the monarchy and its perceived ills.
Some Australian republicans think cutting ties with the monarchy will cure us of this guilt, but anyone familiar with the far left (I was once part of it) knows that nothing will ever be enough.
Even if we became a republic, created Sorry Day, changed the date of Australia Day, voted yes to an Indigenous voice, and renamed every town and river with Aboriginal names, it still wouldn’t satisfy the insatiable demands of woke ideologues.
Like dealing with an abusive partner, the only solution is to refuse to be denigrated.
There are malevolent actors out there who would like to see the West and its values destroyed. We know that you can’t placate them or politely request respect. The only option is to stop playing their game.
It’s the same for those who want us to feel ashamed for celebrating the national day on January 26: stop trying to placate them by removing Australia Day products from shelves or changing the date.
As Bruckner said of Europe: “Either it becomes a convincing world player … or it will be dismembered by hungry predators waiting to devour it piece by piece … It is therefore imperative that we retain our self-confidence as combative occidentals, convinced of the uniqueness of our contributions to civilisation, and who make no excuses for our existence.”
The same applies to Australia. We’re still a young country and, while our national identity may not be as firmly established as America’s or Europe’s, we share a clear foundation in a Judeo-Christian moral framework that emphasises the value of human life, freedom, and individuality. There’s much to be proud of.
Having travelled extensively, I can confidently say there’s nowhere else I’d rather call home.
Of course, we’re not without our challenges – tall poppy syndrome, an underwhelming culinary scene, and ongoing struggles in education, labour productivity, and housing affordability.
And yes, Indigenous Australians face serious and complex issues, but these cannot be reduced to a simple narrative of blame on white colonisation.
Changing the date of our national holiday won’t magically improve life expectancy, health outcomes or educational attainment for Indigenous communities.
This Australia Day, for the first time in years, I’ll be celebrating – and I’m not ashamed.
Zoe Booth is a content director at Quillette
wayneL
VIVA LA LIBERTAD, CARAJO!
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The worm is definitely turning, and right across the west. Like a population mangey mongrel feral cats decimating native wildlife, woke will be difficult to eradicate outright, but we're starting to bag a few.
The Zuckster being a case in point, as is the election of the glorious God Emperor.
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@JohnDe Well put John and I totally agree with your sentiments.
JohnDe
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Made in Australia
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JohnDe
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Purchased my first Australian made flag.
Sean K
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Looking forward to the January Long Weekend this weekend...
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It was announced on the arvo TV news that the Australia day celebrations here in Perth will be bigger and better than ever.
Of course, one Basil Zemplis, the current Lord Mayor and wanna be State Premier, will do all he can to achieve this.
Should be a good occasion down on the Swan River and the surrounds vantage points.
No doubts the pubs and cafes etc will be more than happy.
