Culture v. cringe

In today's Advertiser Natasha Stott-Despoja is right to draw our attention to the curiosity of Michael Parkinson being the first non-Australian to give the Australia Day address, I think she is wrong to attribute this to the return of cultural cringe.
I would suggest that we are now at a point in our history where having freed ourselves from our colonial past we do not have to be frightened that every British commentator can drag us back there. That indeed would be cultural cringe. Parkinson, as a world-citizen, would be more aware than most of the complex issues of our history and can offer perceptive commentary on our place in the modern world. It is not a sign of regression but a sign of our increasing maturity that we can receive this..

Young and free...maybe a little indebted

Most people seem to be getting that to sing (as you do) our national anthem and rejoice that we are 'young and free' is yet another example of simply ignoring any idea that we have an indigenous culture. A culture which, depending on your reckoning, is 40 probably 60 and maybe even 100 thousand years old.
I am not entirely happy with the description that it is the longest continuing culture in the world, (though the case can be made and I am open to being convinced). That, I think, begs the question about whether Australian aboriginal culture has the consistency for such a period that would mean there is anything more than the tenuous link that we live on an island and so it must be 'continuing' in that sense.
But that there has been art, music, story, familial structure, aetiological mythology,is abundantly clear.
Mabo and Wik articulated from a legal point of view that as far as this country is concerned it was not an uninhabited wasteland just wasting for the young and free to some and rape it.

On this Australia Day remember we are both young and free, and also old and deep

Sorry but no!

I rather think that Australia Day is a curiosity, and that the call to change the date is timely. Though it is not easy to see how this discussion can take place, without its assuming greater importance than is warranted.
It is not more important than the republican issue, and we are not having that debate. It is not more important than debate about aboriginal health and education...or indeed anyone else's education and health. It is not more important than debate and discussion about the economy and the need to get ourselves back in shape.
It is a symbolical issue, and symbols are important...as a religious person I know that all too well....but it would seem to be low down the discussion list at the moment.
It doesn't mean that it shouldn't be publicly named and from time to time discussed, but it does mean that at a time when there are other pressing issues...more pressing than this one...that maybe we have to wait.
In that sense, I think Prime Minister Rudd is right to signal very quickly and clearly that he cannot justify being diverted by this discussion.
But in reality, in a democracy (PTL) we can discuss what we like...the PM is just telling us he won't (or perhaps can't) join in at this time

Blowed if I know

Is Australia Day on January 26th or not?

All the honours came out on that day, the citizenship ceremonies seem to have been then...but people keep referring to today (the Monday after...ie. the actual day we are having as a public holiday) as the same.

To confound it all (let us rejoice) shops like Myers and Harvey Normans appeared to be trading on 26th and 27th like normal. Some (most) supermarkets appearde to be open on 26th.

And (for we are young and free) most advertising about iut appeared to be encouarging people to dust off the barbie as the quintessential Australian activity.

Apology is as apology does

Two interesting questions about apologies hover around us. One is the apparently bizarres suggestion that David Hicks, having now served his sentence, should apologise for what he has done.
This might be nice, but it is hardly a legal requisite. Given the fact that there are also big questions about the nature of his internment any way, and no apology forthcoming from either American or Australian governments to him, then perhaps it should all be left well alone.
We also wonder about if and when the Rudd government will apologise to the stolen generations. I guess they will, and I suppose they will also pick their time.
Australia Day would seem opportune. We shall have to wait and see!