Source: CathNews
Australia Day is complicated for many First Australians, and we have a long way to go before all Australians feel comfortable celebrating Australia Day on January 26, or indeed at all. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples feel that moving the date would be a starting point for creating a new dialogue and platform for Reconciliation.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council is in agreement and advocates that Australia Day should be celebrated on May 27 – the day in 1967 that Australians voted overwhelmingly to amend the Constitution to allow the Commonwealth to make laws for Aboriginal people and include them in the Census. In any case, our national day provides an opportunity to come together (COVID permitting) and acknowledge the gifts that our Creator has bestowed upon us in this Great Southern Land.
In the lead up to Australia Day 2022, Evangelisation Brisbane produced a series of interviews featuring NATSICC’s Sabrina Stevens alongside Cynthia Rowan, Dean Parkin and Archbishop Mark Coleridge. View them here:
Click here for the full NATSIIC Statement for Australia Day 2022
