Move Australia Day to January 1

Today - for some strange reason - is called Australia Day. It has sparked another round of criticism, from indigenous Australians especially, that Australia Day should be moved ABC News Story. It is, after all, the day European settlement arrived in Australia, and so is a day of mixed emotions for indigenous Australians. It also implies that only one sort of Australian settlement matters.

Another reason to move Australia Day, is that has nothing to do with Australia itself. What was proclaimed on January 26 1788 was not "Australia", but the "colony of New South Wales" (See Phillip's own account, scroll down to 7 February 1788). It was by no means inevitable that this colony would lead to a united nation. NSW and the other colonies did not unite until January 1, 1901.

So January 1 is the day our nation began, moving from colonies to a commonwealth. It's true that was not independence day - independence from Britain was a gradual process. But it is the day the colonies united, it is a day all Australians can celebrate. For me, it really is a no-brainer that Australia Day should be celebrated on January 1.