Australia Day: a day but not a date to celebrate

Some interesting writing here about 'Australia' and, of course, some poignant thoughts for today, 'Australia Day' Australia Day: a day but not a date to celebrate

There has been renewed interest on issues of 'reconciliation' lately. With Michael Long's walk (halfway) to Canberra and John Howard's committment to something better for Indigenous peoples (hopeful), ATSIC being canned (ambivalent but probably bad), the Palm Island tensions (bad), and a number of other events, perhaps things are back on the minor agenda - they'll always be minor of course - ancillary to the big ticket items, economy, freeways, petrol and house prices, women-babies-work, the usual political party stouches and leadership issues etc.

It's generally a case of being and issue that is too hard to deal with. Let's hope then that John Howard, being motivated as I'm sure he is by the prospect of living on in Australia's political and historical memory, faces up to some of these 'social' issues in his new term of government.

So Happy Australia Day, or Invasion Day, where- and who- ever you are.