Australian of the Year Mick Dodson

[Pfitzy]

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/01/25/1232818247982.html

WITHIN minutes of accepting the Australian of the Year award yesterday, the indigenous leader Mick Dodson told the Rudd Government it needed to move the date of Australia Day because January 26 represented a "day of mourning" for many of his people.

...

Professor Dodson, a lawyer, also called for financial compensation for the stolen generations and for changes to government policy, including on the Northern Territory intervention.

A Yawuru man, he said he felt so strongly the current Australia Day excluded indigenous people that he considered refusing the nomination for the award but decided to accept it after listening to his family. Australians were "mature enough about it now" to consider moving the date, which currently commemorates the First Fleet's arrival in Sydney - "the day on which our world came crashing down".

Professor Dodson suggested February 13, the date the Rudd Government last year formally apologised to stolen generations.

: People basically accused me of being a racist/redneck when I first brought up my opposition to "Sorry Day". At the time I said it would achieve bugger all without some meaningful action***, and that there would still be a significant proportion of indigenous personalities with enough media clout to keep asking for compensation. My equal-third favourite thing in the world is saying "I told you so".

Fortunately Warren Mundine saves it with a few sensible words (from same article):

But another Aboriginal leader, Warren Mundine, an Australia Day ambassador and former national president of the Labor Party, took a swipe at Professor Dodson. "The best news today was Sydney FC's four-nil defeat of Newcastle," he said.

While Mr Mundine congratulated Professor Dodson, he said Australia needed to focus on practical reconciliation, not symbolism. "He has no practicality whatsoever and that's why he's been ignored for 13 years," said Mr Mundine, who was at the forefront of reconciliation talks during the Howard years.

:thumb Well played that man. Knows that its going to take a heck of a lot of elbow grease after the flaming disaster that was ATSIC, and the NT Intervention, to put this to rights.

My favourite Mick Dodson quote of the day:

Professor Dodson, co-chair of Reconciliation Australia, said the movement for change would come from the public: "We should have a conversation about it. If the Government want to be part of it, well and good."

Well Mick, you're going to get bugger all policy change without the government involved, so good luck with that. You twit.


*** Interesting to see since then how good the Rudd Govt is at saying something but doing nothing

 

[Pfitzy]

Further: If Mick thinks the Aboriginal people have still got it bad, he should go have a look at this:

http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2009/national/calling-australia-home/index.html

 

[Thomond78]

Well, you're no racist.

But by God, how much do you want to be the archetypal QLD redneck? You're like a walking Bundy clich?.

Well, except for being a soft-handed Sydneyside decaf skinny soy-latte drinker...

 

[Scarfman]

I found the choice of Mick Dodson very surprising and very exciting.

I don't agree about changing Australia Day, and it's typical of Mick to pick a fight within 5 minutes of assuming office. But I love a fighter, and Australia needs to accomodate the point of view of an Aborginal who is angry about his country's dispossession, and equally angry about his generation's extremely distressing fate.

Don't forget that when Bringing 'em home was tabled in parliament there wasn't a dry eye in either house. And then absolutely nothing happened, not even a gesture, to try to reconcile with that past.

Full credit to Gilly and the boys for picking a really interesting Oz of the Year.

 

[RugbyReg]

Well, you're no racist.

But by God, how much do you want to be the archetypal QLD redneck? You're like a walking Bundy clich?.

why QLD? :nta:

 

[Lindommer]

Well, you're no racist. But by God, how much do you want to be the archetypal QLD redneck? You're like a walking Bundy cliche?

why QLD? :nta:

Where else do "archetypal QLD rednecks" come from? 8) 8) 8)

 

[Cutter]

I found the choice of Mick Dodson very surprising and very exciting.

I don't agree about changing Australia Day, and it's typical of Mick to pick a fight within 5 minutes of assuming office. But I love a fighter, and Australia needs to accomodate the point of view of an Aborginal who is angry about his country's dispossession, and equally angry about his generation's extremely distressing fate.

Don't forget that when Bringing 'em home was tabled in parliament there wasn't a dry eye in either house. And then absolutely nothing happened, not even a gesture, to try to reconcile with that past.

Full credit to Gilly and the boys for picking a really interesting Oz of the Year.

I agree. The other thing is that in order for there to be progress, there need to be people pushing the limits of what we think is acceptable. Mick Dodson is one of those people. There are plenty of examples of people who were considered to hold extreme views at a point in time in respect of things we now take for granted (women voting, racial equality, same sex rights etc).

I have a lot of sympathy for the "invasion day" views and if changing the date of Australia Day means uniting everyone in their celebrations I can't see why its a big deal. How many people think about what Australia Day means? Most of us think its a great excuse for a day off and to get on the gas. This sometimes morphs into flag waving and chest beating but I think that misses the point and is usually alcohol fuelled. If the dominant meaning attached to the current date is a negative one for the Australians with the biggest link to the land, why should we keep it?

 

[Sully]

So everyone looks for a significant date For Australia day. But I say make it a day that mean nothing to everyone! no History no war no invasion.


January 27 sounds good! or the third Monday in January. no one is pissed off and we still get a holiday to celebrate the country we are now. Without some smeghead bringing up ancient history

 

[Cutter]

So everyone looks for a significant date For Australia day. But I say make it a day that mean nothing to everyone! no History no war no invasion.


January 27 sounds good! or the third Monday in January. no one is pissed off and we still get a holiday to celebrate the country we are now. Without some smeghead bringing up ancient history

I like that idea Sully and that is superb use of the word "smeg".

 

[Scarfman]

Without resorting to Wikipedia, can anyone tell me the current Oz of the Year?

It's pretty amusing.

 

[Sully]

Isn't it that doctor chick with 73 kids?

 

[Sully]

without giving it away I was wrong!

 

[barbarian]

Lee Kernaghan. 2 years in a row the winner has made the acceptance speech whilst wearing a big hat.

I agree with Scarfy here. As much as I think Dodson is overdoing it a bit (realistically the date is never going to change), he has raised some interesting ideas and hopefully had people talking over their Australia Day BBQ about the real meaning of the day. IMO the term 'invasion day' is a bit over the top, as any historian worth his salt has shown that the intentions of the First Fleet were definitely peaceful. But I still think the Aborigines need to feel included and if they don't currently then this is a problem we must address.

 

[Pfitzy]

if changing the date of Australia Day means uniting everyone in their celebrations

:nta: If moving a public holiday is required to appease a very small indigenous group, only a few percent of whom actually use the phrase "Invasion Day" or actually give a shit about their long-forgotten oppression, then I say do it.

By the way, I want every Monday declared a public holiday. As I represent people indigenous to my part of Australia, I expect this to get through about the same time Australia Day gets moved.

Like there isn't enough pandering to every minority group in this rapidly evolving nanny state :

Well, except for being a soft-handed Sydneyside decaf skinny soy-latte drinker...

I don't like soy

 

[cyclopath]

I don't like soy

And serious coffee drinkers DON'T DRINK FARKIN' DECAF EITHER!!! Apologies - too much caffeine today. As you were.

 

[cyclopath]

Seriously though, I say ho-hum to the whole idea. How many people really gives 2 hoots about Australia day? I mean really care about that for which it stands? The peanuts rampaging around the Corso with Aussie flags around them chanting thinly-veiled racist crap don't - it's just another day for a piss-up. And I agree with Nick here - how many indigenous Australians really think "Invasion Day"? I have no problem changing the date if it offends, and I suspect most wouldn't care less as long as they got their long weekend. Which is probably a bit sad really. Shame is there would be too many "interested parties" to reach any consensus, and you can rule out the politicians, as they all battle for the populist centre ground and try to out-huff each other in the outrage department.

 

[Scarfman]

How many indigenous Australians really think "Invasion Day"?

Not picking a fight here, by any means, but my observation would be "most" or "very close to all." Quite a few say it with a smile, though.

As much as I'm 100% behind Aboriginal land rights, I can't really see the Commonweath of Australia changing the name of the day to Invasion Day any time soon.

This is all a good stir, though. 1-0 Mick, I reckon.

 

[Cutter]

No need to change the name, we are all Australian. Just change the date and make the focus pride in our multicultural and multiracial society rather than boozing.

 

[Scarfman]

The more I think about it, the more I think that that National Days are bound to be excessively patriotic. Personally, I'm happy to sing all the stuff about being Girt By Sea, but I'm pretty suspicious of flag-waving. Seems to be too closely associated with "Aussie Pride" or "Australia Love it or Leave it" kind of stuff.

I remember visiting the USA in my childhood and being amazed at how many people had American flags in their yards. I always thought that Australians' sense of patriotism was nicely laissez-faire. That's how I like it, anyway.

 

[mark_s]

Given many Australians don't know why Aus day is 26 Jan anyway (its not the date captain cook discovered Australia nor is the date Arthur Phillip first arrived in Aus, nor is it even the day when Australia was first called Australia) I would have no problems moving it to another day. My preference would be for another public holiday in the back half of the year preferably in November or possibly late February - it could even help fill the gap between the cricket and rugby seasons.