Ferries race between the Opera House and a small navy ship during Australia Day celebrations in Sydney, Jan 26, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)
CANBERRA - Australia's prime minister has described Australia Day as an opportunity to reflect on the country's achievements amid calls to change the date of the holiday.
Held every year on Jan. 26, Australia Day marks the anniversary of the 1788 landing of the British First Fleet in the country.
Led by Indigenous communities who mark the date as "Invasion Day" or "Survival Day" to reflect the massacres of Aboriginal people following colonization, the campaign for the date of the national holiday to be changed has grown in recent years.
Across Australia on Friday, tens of thousands of people joined Indigenous-led rallies calling for the date of Australia Day to be changed
Addressing the national citizenship and flag-raising ceremony in Canberra on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has previously rejected calls to change the date, said Australia Day is the nation's chance to reflect on everything it has achieved.
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"Everything that we have created and built and learned through all the ups and downs of our history. The mighty challenges we have faced, the profound opportunities we have seized, the stern tests we have passed together. Everything that has made us who we are as a people. Everything that has made us who we are, as a nation," he said.
Across Australia on Friday, tens of thousands of people joined Indigenous-led rallies calling for the date of Australia Day to be changed.
Several major organizations, including the National Rugby League, released statements acknowledging Jan. 26 as a painful date for the Indigenous population.
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Delivering his final Australia Day address, Governor-General David Hurley, whose five-year term will expire in mid-2024, urged Australians to use the day to focus on the things that unite the country.
