Luke Foley suggests replacing Queen’s birthday in June with a day in which ‘we recognise and celebrate 40,000 years of Indigenous history’

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The New South Wales opposition leader, Luke Foley, wants to create a new day honouring Indigenous Australians on the Queen’s birthday public holiday.

But Foley resisted emulating the position of two Melbourne councils in moving Australia Day celebrations from 26 January, saying he was “not in the business of rewriting history”.

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Foley said a new day honouring Indigenous Australians should be created to help ensure “a completeness” in the telling of Australia’s past.

He said he would replace the Queen’s birthday public holiday in June with a day honouring Indigenous Australians. Foley said that could occur either now, or when “Her Majesty passes away”.

“I think [ABC Indigenous editor] Stan Grant’s made a powerful argument that the Indigenous history, over 40,000 years of it, that story needs to be told,” he told 2GB radio in Sydney.



“I’m not persuaded that we should move Australia Day away from January 26, I think for most Australians it’s set in stone.”



The calls come after the federal government intervened to strip both Darebin and Yarra councils in Melbourne of their right to hold future citizenship ceremonies.

The two councils had voted to move Australia Day citizenship ceremonies from January 26, a day which marks the first fleet’s arrival, and which many label invasion day.

The federal assistant immigration minister, Alex Hawke, quickly moved to strip their power to hold citizenship ceremonies.

He said ceremonies must be “apolitical, bipartisan and secular”.

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Darebin councillor Trent McCarthy said the council’s decision had been about “acknowledging the extreme hurt” caused by celebrating a national day on the day the first fleet arrived in Sydney Cove.

Foley said the Queen’s birthday public holiday in June made little sense, given her birthday was in April.

“It got me thinking, whether it’s now, or perhaps when Her Majesty passes away, whether that June public holiday would be best becoming the occasion, the public holiday, where we recognise and celebrate 40,000 years of Indigenous history here,” he said.