Waleed Aly has called Australia Day “meaningless” and said that all Australians could do with a “fact check” regarding the controversial public holiday.
During a segment of The Project on Jan. 25 alongside Tommy Little, the host quizzed the comedian about the date, January 26th, and what it actually celebrates.
“Regardless of which camp you’re in, whether you’re mourning or commemorating, you probably could do with a fact check on what actually went down on January 26,” he said.
The satirical segment involved Aly suggest Aussies be “honest” about what Australia Day means.
“So I guess if we have to commemorate Europeans in Australia on January 26 maybe we should just be honest about it, ditch the Aussie flags and the snags and the VB and wear like a French flag and drink Beaujolais (wine) and eat snails,” he said.
The TV host vocalised his support of a date change for the national holiday, and suggested changing it from the date that some call “invasion day” to the date that the Australia Acts were signed by Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Queen Elizabeth.
The 1986 declaration made Australia an independent sovereign nation.
“There is always March the 3rd, which is was the day when the Australia Act took effect both in the UK and in Australia … I know March the 3rd feels a bit arbitrary and meaningless, but January 26 also felt a bit meaningless in early colonial years,” Aly said during the segment.
“It didn’t even become a holiday for like 30 years. So rather than celebrate a day when Britain took Australia from its traditional owners maybe we should mark the day when they gave it back to all of us.”
The segment was received differently by viewers across Australia, with many taking to Twitter to voice their own opinions.
“What a manipulation of a narrative,” one wrote, while another praised Aly for “great journalism treated in a light hearted fun way so that the masses hear”.
It comes after the push for a national debate on whether or not the Australia Day date should be changed.
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