Australia Day: honours, citizenship, protests, sport, Hottest 100 – live!

19:16



Powered by Guardian.co.ukThis article titled “Australia Day: honours, citizenship, protests, sport, Hottest 100 – live!” was written by Michael Safi, Elle Hunt and Paul Farrell, for theguardian.com on Tuesday 26th January 2016 03.14 UTC






My colleague Nick Evershed has just published his hotly anticipated never ending Hottest 100 quiz.


This quiz is, as the name suggests, an infinite series of variations on possible questions about Hottest 100 countdowns from 1993 to 2014.


Here’s a short dispatch from Nick explaining how it works:


Which artist had a top 5 track in the 1993 Hottest 100 that started with the following lyrics: “All I can say is that my life is pretty plain”.


With the annual Triple J countdown on today, our data and interactives editor Nick Evershed has built a quiz that will test your music knowledge to the limits.


This quiz features randomised questions dynamically generated from Hottest 100 data between 1993 and 2014, so you can continue adding question after question.


Check it out here.







My colleague Calla Wahlquist has been on the ground in Melbourne at the Invasion Day parade. Here’s a short dispatch she’s written:


Faced with a wall of protesters, the police turned aside. Several hundred people were marching down Melbourne’s Bourke Street mall in the name of Invasion Day, and they had reached the barricades set up for the official Australia Day parade.


The march, which began at Parliament House in Spring Street, now stretched back almost two city blocks. The police line inched back, then stood aside. For the third time in twelve months a protest about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights stopped traffic on the Melbourne CBD.Crowds wearing Australian Flag tattoos remained on the barricades to watch the new parade go by, to the chant of: “Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.”


Flowers for a memorial were left on the steps of Parliament House and the chant turned to “no pride in genocide.” One marcher, who took part in previous Invasion Day marches, said the crowd was twice that of last year.Not everyone was supportive.


A lone angry white man, resolutely standing at a barricade as the rest of the fence was dismantled around him, punctuated every cry of “always was, always will be” with “crap!” “It’s all bullshit, everyone came from somewhere,” he contended. A slew of police officers sidled up and stood within grabbing distance as the crowd treated him to his own personal chant.


On the other side of the barrier, among a thicket of protest signs, a white man who looked to be in his nineties took a selfie with a young Aboriginal woman.”Here,” she said, wrapping an Aboriginal Flag around his green-and-gold get-up. “Let’s cover that up.””So will you be marching with us from now on? It’s better on this side,” she asked. Yes, he agreed. It was.





Updated






Triple J called Purity Ring lead singer Megan James while she was walking to her van in Hollywood. Their song Begin Again bagged No 87 on the station’s Hottest 100 list.


“It’s one of my favourite songs on the record,” she said. When asked how she was going to celebrate their Hottest 100 entry she added: “I’m going to go home and make some dinner”.


Don’t get too excited Megan! Catch the duo at Laneway festival, which kicks off 30 January and tours the country until 14 February.


In other Hottest 100 countdown news, Courtney Barnett and Flight Facilities have become the first acts to both nab two spots in the 2016 list. This fun fact by Triple J’s Home and Hosed host Dom Alessio:



81. Angus & Julia Stone’s Big Jet Plane (Triple J Like A Version) by Tuka


82. Depreston by Courtney Barnett


83. Down To Earth by Flight Facilities


84. DMA’s Delete (Triple J Like A Version) by Sticky Fingers


85. Heart Attack feat Owl Eyes by Flight Facilities


86. Happy Song by Bring Me The Horizon


87. Begin Again by Purity Ring


88. Party Machine by the Bennies


89. High By the Beach by Lana Del Rey


90. Gemini feat George Maple by What So Not







This would have been a rather grizzly discovery for some picnic goers in Melbourne. AAP filed this report a short time ago:


A kangaroo has been decapitated and its head left on a barbecue plate at a popular picnic area in Melbourne.


Police say the kangaroo and a skinned rabbit were found at the Diamond Creek Walking Trial picnic site about 8.20am on Tuesday, Australia Day.


When police arrived, they found the head of the kangaroo on a barbecue plate, while the body was located about 60 metres away, Victoria Police spokeswoman Leading Senior Constable Lee Thomson said.


Witness Michael told 3AW radio he was jogging when he came upon the terrible sight.


“I was just at the jogging track and there’s about 10 police here. Kids have put the kangaroo on a public barbecue and have turned it on,” he said.


“There’s a lot of families here. Police have covered it up in plastic because there’s a lot of kids around.”


Police are asking anyone with information to come forward.







Potentially the biggest Australia Day event in Darwin, the Ute Run attracts hundreds of decked-out vehicles to cruise around the streets of town. A large number of spectators line the streets, sitting in camping chairs, ute trays, on picnic rugs, waving as the convoy drives past. It’s run for 14 years and raises money for Variety NT.


It’s hot and sweaty on the racetrack and there are more stubbie shorts and singlets than you could poke a mullet at.


Most are decorated in Australian flags, others have made more of an effort.


The owner of the Camel Car, Jimmy Doyle, says it’s done six Variety bashes and raised about $130,000. Underneath the fur is a 1985 ZL Fairlane, which “hasn’t missed a beat, hasn’t even had a flat tyre” on the long journeys.


“You haven’t lived til you’ve been on a Variety Bash, and the week after you don’t want to live until your liver sorts itself out,” he tells Guardian Australia.


Doyle is also a Variety NT board member and chair of the grants committee. “I get to give the money away which is probably the best second job in the cosmos.”







Updated






Guardian Australia’s photographer Mike Bowers has been taking some fantastic pictures from Sydney Harbour and the Australia Day events. Here’s a selection of some of the images he’s been taking.


Australia day opera house
The RAAF conduct a fly past during Australia Day activities around circular quay, Sydney-Tuesday 26th January 2016 Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Australia day harbour bridge
Australia Day activities around circular quay, Sydney-Tuesday 26th January 2016 Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Australia day circular quay
Australia Day activities around circular quay, Sydney-Tuesday 26th January 2016 Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Australia Day Sydney

Bridge climbers watch the ferry race and Australia Day activities around circular quay, Sydney-Tuesday 26th January 2016. Photograph by Mike Bowers Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Updated






In Queensland there’s also quite an extensive rally being held by activists and protesters in support of Indigenous land rights. AAP reports:


A large crowd of Aboriginal activists and supporters has rallied outside Queensland’s Parliament House in a protest against Invasion Day.


The crowd gathered outside the entrance of state parliament to express opposition to the celebration of the national day on 26 January, and hear speeches on forced removal of children, racial discrimination and the destruction of traditional lands.


“Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land,” they chanted, ahead of a march through the Brisbane CBD en route to Musgrave park.



Updated






Pop singer Jessica Mauboy sang a powerful and unique version of the Australian national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, this morning.


Standing on the Sydney Harbour Bridge Mauboy sang the anthem in an Indigenous language first, then in English.



Updated






In the world of sport my colleague Mike Hytner has asked me to remind readers that Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have just started their Australian Open quarter-final. You can read our live coverage of all things sporting today on this live blog.


Paul Connolly has also written a longer piece on the Australian sporting honours list:


Such are the accomplishments of Australia’s best ever male tennis player that if there’s any surprise at Rod Laver being appointed a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia it’s that he hadn’t already received the honour.


Made a Member of the British Empire in 1970 – a year after he won all four grand slam tournaments in the same calendar year for the second time – Laver, 77, was one of just 10 recipients of the top honour, recognised for his “eminent service to tennis as a player, representative and mentor, at the national and international level, and as a role model for young sportsmen and women”.


Born in Rockhampton, Queensland, the left-handed Laver, nicknamed “Rocket”, won 11 grand slam singles titles – and contributed to six doubles titles, three mixed doubles titles and five Davis Cup titles – despite being banned from amateur tennis, including grand slam events, between 1963 and 1968 for turning professional. When professionalism was embraced in 1968, Laver added five grand slam singles titles to the six he won before 1963.


You can read the rest of his piece here.



Updated






Ten songs have dropped off the Triple J Hottest 100 conveyer belt. Courtney Barnett gets her first look in with Nobody Really Cares if you Don’t Go to the Party at No 95. It certainly won’t be the last we see of the Melbourne singer-songwriter. Can she top last year’s Triple J man of the year, Chet Faker, who had four tracks in the top 25 including the top spot with Talk is Cheap?


91. Be Your Shadow by the Wombats


92. No One feat Thelma Plum by Golden Features


93. Indian Summer by Jai Wolf


94. Ghost by Halsey


95. Nobody Really Cares if you Don’t Go to the Party by Courtney Barnett


96. Rumour Mill feat Anne-Marie/Will Heard by Rudimental


97. Twilight Driving by Methyl Ethel


98. Be Together feat Wild Belle by Major Lazer


99. Bring Me the Horizon by True Friends


100. Hell Boy by Seth Sentry



Updated






Good afternoon, I’m picking up our live coverage of Australia Day here for a spell.


In Sydney the Invasion Day march has arrived at Australia House. The march picked up quite impressively as it wound through the city, and there are a lot of great images that have been popping up.


There are some really powerful stories being told by the speakers – here’s a selection of a few videos and images.





There’s also been considerable disquiet about the extent that police are filming the rally. It’s now become an increasingly common practice for NSW police to film rallies and protests. In some cases the footage has been subsequently used as evidence in prosecutions, often for offensive language or behaviour when protests become more heated.




Updated






The Hottest 100 countdown began with an acknowledgement of country, the first time that’s been done in any Triple J broadcast in memory:


As part of our commitment to reconciliation and equality, we believe January 26 should be inclusive, meaningful and respectful to all Australians, so we take this moment to commemorate Australia’s First Peoples.


Triple J acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to elders both past and present.



Updated






Helen Davidson, my colleague in the Northern Territory, seems to be having a lively time at the Darwin ute run. She’ll be filing more soon – she’s currently trapped in her parking spot by 200 vehicles – but in the meantime, here’s a taster care of Twitter.








Updated






Members of the Ahmadi movement of Islam are popping up at Australia Day ceremonies around the country, handing out pamphlets that read “Muslims for loyalty”, and carrying out their own flag-hoisting ceremonies at mosques in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.



By way of context, the Ahmadiyya are neither Sunni nor Shia, and in fact are considered heretical by some orthodox Muslims. The movement sprang up around 1889 in what was then British-controlled India, its leader Mirza Ghulam Ahmad proclaiming himself a divine reformer and prophet. That claim is rejected by most Muslims, who consider Muhammad the last prophet, and Ahmadis have faced persecution, both legal and by vigilantes, in places such as Pakistan, Indonesia and Iran.



They have faced no such trouble in Australia where the 3,000-strong community is thriving and has made itself a fixture at events such as Clean Up Australia Day. Ahmadis were also prominent in the aftermath of the 2014 Sydney siege, when they descended on Martin Place in “Muslims for Peace” shirts.


(Incidentally, the siege gunman, Man Haron Monis, told Australian immigration authorities he had become an Ahmadiyya Muslim in Iran, and consequently feared for his life. He received a refugee visa after making the claim – investigators say it was almost certainly a lie.)



Updated





Malcolm Turnbull: no politician can make Australia a republic



Malcolm Turnbull says the next push for a republic in Australia must come from a grassroots movement rather than be driven by politicians, or the campaign will end in another “heroic defeat”.


The prime minister, an avowed republican, was speaking after hosting an Australia Day citizenship ceremony in Canberra.


The Australian Republican Movement has sought to build momentum by publishing a pro-republic open letter from all premiers and chief ministers (except Western Australia’s Colin Barnett). The new Australian of the Year, David Morrison, has also pledged support for constitutional change.


Turnbull said he welcomed the additional voices of support, but said the push for a republic must be shown to be a genuinely popular movement.


“No politician, no prime minister or opposition leader or premier can make Australia a republic. Only the Australian people can do that through a referendum.


There needs to be very strong popular momentum for a change. There has to be a sense that the time is right. There are many more urgent issues confronting Australia, and indeed confronting the government, than the momentum or the desire for Australia to become a republic.


Turnbull said the next referendum should held after the end of the Queen’s reign to have the best chance of succeeding.


“To get momentum … it needs to have grassroots support. It is not something that a government can just do, even if it wanted to.”



Updated





3, 2, 1 … the Hottest 100 gets under way



Triple J’s annual Hottest 100 countdown – for many fans of Powderfinger and Muse, a highlight of the national day – is getting under way across Australia.


In typical millennial fashion (I’m assuming, in typical millennial fashion), plenty of people left it until the last minute to cast their votes, with Triple J reporting a “huge swell of traffic” to its website on Friday before the competition closed.


More than 2m votes were cast by nearly 300,000 voters from 172 countries. “That’s HEAPS,” said Triple J in a press release, “after spending the weekend crunching numbers.”


Here are some of the findings of its stats-a-thon:


  • 2,094,350 votes cast by 298,851 voters from 172 countries

  • More than 16,000 songs voted for

  • 54% of the songs in the Hottest 100 from Australian artists

  • 26 Hottest 100 debutantes

  • Average beats per minute 123, compared with 121 in 2014 and 116 in 2013

Triple J also congratulated listeners on the “number of successful troll campaigns … [and] songs disqualified” (“zero”) this year, a definitely-not-bitter reference to the #Tay4Hottest100 unpleasantness that marred 2015’s competition.


(There were actually tentative moves to get Justin Bieber recognised in the countdown, the legalities of which were discussed at length in this pun- and quotation mark-heavy blog post.)


There are several ways to follow the countdown:


You can turn on your radio, tune into ‘Triple J’ on your digital radio, stream via the Triple J website or listen through the Triple J iPhone app and the ABC radio Android app. Plus you can follow us on social media as we update the Hottest 100 songs, give you a look behind the scenes and highlight the best Hottest 100 parties throughout the day on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,YouTube, Spotify and you can find us on Snapchat at triplejsnaps.


And here’s the blooper reel of its star-studded Hottest 100 trailer.



The blooper reel of TripleJ’s star-studded Hottest 100 trailer.

Updated






There are plenty of ways Sydney residents are marking Australia Day, only some of which involve merchandise with Australian flags on it.


Australia Day celebrations in Sydney, Australia, January 26, 2016. Photo by Jonny Weeks for The Guardian.
Traditional Aboriginal dancers perform a ceremony on Australia Day in Sydney.
Australia Day celebrations in Sydney, Australia, January 26, 2016. Photo by Jonny Weeks for The Guardian.
Australia Day celebrations in Sydney, Australia, January 26, 2016. Photo by Jonny Weeks for The Guardian.
Participants in the Great Sydney Swim on Australia Day in Sydney.
Participants in the Great Sydney Swim on Australia Day in Sydney. Photograph: Paul Miller/EPA
Australia Day celebrations in Sydney, Australia, January 26, 2016. Photo by Jonny Weeks for The Guardian.
A citizenship ceremony in Sydney during Australia Day celebrations.
A citizenship ceremony in Sydney during Australia Day celebrations. Photograph: Jonny Weeks for the Guardian

Updated






The 2016 Australian of the Year, David Morrison, has spoken out about religious discrimination faced by the Islamic community in Australia, one day after receiving the top honour.


“When everyone gets a chance to reach their potential, we as a society can reach our potential,” he said in an interview with ABC 24.



Australian of the Year David Morrison intends to push for a ‘fair go’ for everyone.

Morrison’s profile rose in 2013 after his video address to serving ADF members after the ‘Skype scandal’, in which he lambasted those who turned a blind eye to sexism, harassment and abuse of women in the force.



Updated






The Sydney band the Presets have called 26 January the “cruellest of anniversaries” in a post on Facebook, describing it as the day “white man arrived with his guns, his alcohol, his church, his flus and other unknown illnesses”.


“Out of all the days of the year that we could possibly choose to celebrate this wonderful nation of Australia, we think it’s frankly sickening that we continue to celebrate on this cruellest of anniversaries, January 26.”


The electronic music duo of Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes have proposed shifting the national holiday to an alternate date, such as the birthday of either writer Henry Lawson or Indigenous activist Eddie Mabo.


But not everyone who’s engaged with the post has been supportive.


“How dare you insult a day that is about everyone and turn it into a political discussion which has a typical agenda pushed not by indigenous people, but by white do-gooders,” said Nathan Sorensen-Salman.


“Australia Day is totally about inclusion of everyone and is a celebration – not a commiseration.”



Updated






Morning, all. Elle Hunt here, draped in a flag and with a Caramello koala to hand.


Thus far Australia Day has been marked with plenty of public speeches and pockets of protest. As Michael Safi has already reported, the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has acknowledged contention over the day in recognising “the oldest continuing cultures on Earth”.


“They are the first Australians and we respect and honour them on this, our national day,” he said.


As my colleague Monica Tan wrote in her wrap of Indigenous events being held nationwide, today is for many a timely opportunity to protest against the impacts of colonialism and to express pride in Indigenous culture.


Protests calling for sovereignty, treaty and social justice are taking place in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra. Paul Farrell reported that the 2016 Invasion Day march from Redfern to inner-city Sydney was attended by about 1,000 people.


We’ll have more updates throughout the day.




Updated






The 2016 Invasion day march in Sydney drew about 1,000 protesters on Tuesday morning.


The rally was held at The Block in Redfern to fight for sovereignty, treaty and social justice for Indigenous Australians.



Organiser Ken Canning, an Indigenous playwright and poet, said the rally would march through the original route of the renowned day of mourning protest to Australia Hall on Elizabeth Street that occurred in 1938.


The original hall has been purchased as part of a five-year campaign, and it will be the first time in 78 years that Indigenous Australians have gathered there on 26 January.


“We are sovereign not only in our own land, but in ourselves,” Canning said.


A Wiradjuri elder, Jenny Munro, said: “It is a day of mourning, and it was declared so by our heroes of 1938.”


Jenny Leong, of the Greens, also addressed the crowd and said the party “stands here to show our commitment to your struggle”


“The struggle for justice, the struggle for the land rights, the struggle for a treaty needs to continue,” she said.


Senator Lee Rhiannon was also present.





Updated






The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has just spoken in Canberra. Here’s a bit of what he had to say:


Australia is the most successful multicultural society in the world, diverse and harmonious. Our people come from close to 200 countries. For more than 40,000 years, Australia was cared for by the nation’s of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Theirs are the oldest continuing cultures on earth. They are the first Australians and we respect and honour them on this, our national day. So our nation is as old as humanity itself, as old as the rock carvings of the peninsula and the stories of the Dreamtime, told by the first Australians, as old as the Magna Carta, the rule of law and the poetry of Shakespeare, brought by the British settlers, as old as the mysteries of every faith and the riches of every culture, which contributes so much to our diversity.


Yet, we are as new as the baby who becomes a citizen today in the arms of its migrant parents. We can look at our past with great pride and with some regret but we are not defined, let alone trapped by our history, as many other nations are. Many nations define themselves by a common race or religion or culture. Not us. Our national identity is defined by shared political values, democracy, tempered by the rule of law. A deep belief that each of us owes the other a fair go, the best chance to realise our dreams. And binding us together is mutual respect. We often take that forgranted but we should not. We don’t have to look far to seethe consequences of its absence.


From here he launches into the full Turnbull:


We live in the most exciting time in human history. There has never been such rapid change. Billions lifted out of poverty in a few generations, technology available to many that until recently, even the richest billionaire could not afford. And in this era of transformation, Australia is so well positioned. In a global economy where technology is triumphing over geography, Australians are naturally global citizens.


Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull with Ben Roberts-Smith VC during the Australian of The Year Awards 2016 at Parliament House on January 25, 2016 in Canberra, Australia.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull with Ben Roberts-Smith VC during the Australian of The Year Awards 2016 at Parliament House on January 25, 2016 in Canberra, Australia. Photograph: Martin Ollman/Getty Images

Updated






From around the country, here’s a grab of how Australians are celebrating our national day. They come via #AustraliaDay Your Way, an initiative of the National Museum of Australia, curating social media posts from the day to create a digital time capsule.











Not a bad view, via Jessica Mauboy, who sang the national anthem this morning from the top of the Sydney Harbour bridge.


Here’s AAP’s take:


Dressed in a bright red dress, Mauboy belted out the national anthem in the Indigenous language before repeating it in English from the blustery heights of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.


Both the Australian and Aboriginal flags were raised together as she sang the anthems at 134 metres above the harbour.


Mauboy’s heartfelt delivery sounded out across the harbour just before 8am on a cloudy Tuesday morning.


The Indigenous version was a medley of local Sydney dialects, Australia Day organisers said.



Updated






Perhaps the country’s most prominent citizenship ceremony is currently under way in Canberra’s Rond Terrace, and includes a flag raising, the country’s Federation Guard, the Navy Band, an aerial flyover and 21 gun salute.


The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is also there, and will no doubt have something to say. The event is being simulcast as I write on ABC News 24. Ben Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross winner (his citation here) and chairman of the Australia Day Council, is just arriving now.




Updated






Almost 400 citizenship ceremonies will be held across the country on Tuesday, welcoming more than 16,000 people from 154 countries.


The immigration minister, Peter Dutton, had this to say about the events: “Whether you are a citizen by birth or by pledge, today we are reminded by the numbers of those affirming their loyalty to Australia and its people, that we truly do live in the lucky country.”


New Australians: let this gentleman’s shirt be an indicator of the kind of dress that’s customary in your new home.


Spectators watch Aboriginal dancers perform the WugulOra Morning Ceremony at Walumil Lawn at Barangaroo Reserve as part of Australia Day celebrations in Sydney, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016.
Spectators watch Aboriginal dancers perform the WugulOra morning ceremony at Walumil Lawn at Barangaroo Reserve as part of Australia Day celebrations in Sydney on Tuesday. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Updated






Many Australia Day barbecues around the country will see patchy weather with clouds threatening to make backyard cricket a bit muddy.


For Sydneysiders, the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a cloudy day with a maximum of 27C. But more likely than not, there will be a shower or two.


Melburnians will probably escape any rain ruining their snags, with a sunny day reaching a max of 28C. Although the smell of their barbecues will mingle with the smell of smoke from bushfires.


Brisbane will reach similar temperatures but most likley have showers and thunderstorms, while Perth and Adelaide look set to be sunny and reach the low 30s.


It’s touch-and-go in the nation’s capital, with a 50% chance of rain, most likely to hit in the afternoon, after reaching a maximum of 26C.


Darwin will hit 33C and has a 40% chance of rain.


Hobart will see a maximum of 19C and maybe a bit of drizzle in the north.


Participants prepare to take part in the Great Sydney Swim on Australia Day in Sydney on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016. (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Participants prepare to take part in the Great Sydney Swim in the harbour on Tuesday morning. Photograph: Paul Miller/AAP

Updated






An unexpected hit on the eve of Australia Day has been the months-old, but only recently posted video of journalist Stan Grant’s remarks during an IQ2 debate in Sydney, on whether racism was ruining the Australian dream.


Emphatically yes, said Grant, also Guardian Australia’s Indigenous Affairs editor.



Stan Grant at the IQ2 Racism debate

If you’re one of the handful of people left in the country who hasn’t seen it, you bloody should.


Stan has written on the video’s success and reflected on the meaning of Australia Day in his latest piece here.


Australia’s myths, poetry and anthem tell of a land that can appear unrecognisable to us. We don’t share in the ‘boundless plains’, we have not enjoyed the ‘wealth for toil’, the sweeping plains and rugged mountains ranges of a sunburnt country were too often places of death for us on the Australian frontier.


Indigenous people die still a decade younger than our fellow Australians, we are 3% of the population yet a quarter of those in prisons. By every measure Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders remain the poorest, most disadvantaged people in Australia and this is no accident. The seeds of our suffering were sown in dispossession at a time when the very humanity of my people was denied.


Read the full thing here


The Australian of the Year, David Morrison, has also had a speech go viral. Here’s his famed June 2013 address – penned by another Australian of the Year nominee, Group Captain Cate McGregor – making it eminently clear what he expects of his troops (“ … and if that does not suit you, then get out”).


Awarded Australian of the Year on Monday night, Morrison said of his remarks: “It’s only a fellow, a bloke, saying to his workforce that treating your colleagues with respect is a precondition of your employment. That’s all it is.”



Updated






One day, in the future, every message from our rulers will be delivered via Google Doodle – if today’s is any indication, that might not be such a bad thing.


The tech giant has fashioned its all-famous landing page as “Stolen Dreamtime”, a design by Ineka Voigt, a Canberra high school student who described her design thus:


If I could travel back in time I would reunite mother and child. A weeping mother sits in an ochre desert, dreaming of her children and a life that never was … all that remains is red sand, tears and the whispers of her stolen dreamtime.


Stolen Dreamtime, Ineka Voigt’s winning Google Doodle design
Stolen Dreamtime, Ineka Voigt’s winning Google Doodle design. Photograph: Google

Our friends over at New Matilda note that past ’straya day-themed Doodles have played a straight bat: kids building a sandcastle, idyllic bush scenes, native wildlife. Something is stirring.


Or is it? We’ve also been passed a poll by YouGov, of more than 500 people, surveying their views on Australia/Invasion/Survival Day. It found:


  • 86% of Australians refer to 26 January as Australia Day. A particularly crusty minority opt for Anniversary/Foundation/ANA Day (6%). The last 8% “have no opinion on what the day is known as”.

  • 78% of Australians polled said the day was worth celebrating: to take pride in Australia’s culture, values, identity (74%), to hold citizenship ceremonies and other events (60%) and celebrate the patchwork of communities that make up the social fabric (56%).

  • Around 67 of the 538 people polled said the day wasn’t worth celebrating. 65% said it represented loss and injustice towards Indigenous Australians, 35% said it was a lame excuse to get pissed and one-quarter said it lacked any real meaning.


Updated






Good morning, it’s Australia Day 2016, and we’re covering it live all day. Welcome to our coverage.


Much of the chatter this year is about change: the date of our national day, the constitution and the flag – the latter to one of these numbers, put to a vote of more than 8,000 run by a Western Sydney University researcher.


From left to right, top to bottom: Reconciliation, Sporting, Southern Horizon, Golden Wattle and Southern Cross and Eureka flags. The flags are part of a survey being conducted by Western Sydney University researcher Dr Benjamin T. Jones (School of Humanities and Communication Arts) to find out Australian’s attitudes to their flag and how they would feel if it was to be changed.
From left to right, top to bottom: Reconciliation, Sporting, Southern Horizon, Golden Wattle and Southern Cross and Eureka flags. The flags are part of a survey being conducted by Western Sydney University researcher Dr Benjamin T Jones to find out Australian’s attitudes to their flag and how they would feel if it was changed. Photograph: Western Sydney University

More than 60% said they were in favour of switching out the flag, with the most popular design, Southern Horizon in the top right, winning 31% of the vote.


Already we know the Australian of the Year: Lieutenant General David Morrison, the former chief of army for the Australian defence force and a campaigner for diversity and equality in the armed forces.


A potential future winner is Senator Jacqui Lambie, who’s had a strong start, delivering an Australia Day message urging anyone who doesn’t like our “democratic rights” to find another country.


Naturally, she’s in a sequinned Australian flag singlet and feather hat plastered in the national ensign. Here’s the highlight of her address, which I hope will be an annual fixture:


Remember, if you don’t like our democratic rights, liberties and laws, equality for all, including women, gay, and Indigenous people, there are plenty of other countries to choose from.


We’ll bring you highlights from events around the country, including updates on the all-important Triple J Hottest 100, and whatever else springs up on this auspicious occasion.


Much about today is contested, and feels especially so this year. One thing worth celebrating: that it’s still possible, at least for one day, for Australians who disagree to sit down together, honour what makes this country special, and write no columns whatsoever.



Stay with us.



Updated



guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010


Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.




Australia Day: honours, citizenship, protests, sport, Hottest 100 – live!


0 comments:

Post a Comment

Follow:

More

Whats Hot

Copyright 2013 Truefinder.org

Created by Sora Templates