Thousands take part in Invasion Day protests every year in Australia. Source: Adam Calaitzis
Channel 10 has recently announced that January 26th will no longer be called ‘Australia Day’ at the company.
This decision comes from years of large-scale protests across the country to change the date from January 26th – a day of mourning, not celebration, for First Nations people.
Beverley McGarvey, chief content officer at Network Ten and vice president of Paramount Australia, announced the change in an all-staff email last week.
McGarvey has now refused to label the 26th of January ‘Australia Day’ and has permitted staff to treat the day as any other working day, not a public holiday.
McGarvey’s email stated the following: “At Paramount ANZ we aim to create a safe place to work where cultural differences are appreciated, understood and respected.
“For our First Nations people, we as an organisation acknowledge that January 26 is not a day of celebration. We recognise that there has been a turbulent history, particularly around that date and the recognition of that date being Australia Day.”
McGarvey continued, “we recognise that January 26 evokes different emotions for our employees across the business, and we are receptive to employees who do not feel comfortable taking this day as a public holiday.
“Whether you choose to work on January 26 or take the public holiday, we ask that you reflect and respect the different perspectives and viewpoints of all Australians.”
This is big news for the vast number of Australians who wish to see the date changed.
In September, a Melbourne survey of more than 1600 residents found that nearly 60 percent wanted to see the date changed from January 26th, and only 31 percent disagreed with the change.
Each year, thousands of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians take to the streets on January 26th, protesting against Australia Day and the institutionalised racism First Nations people continue to face.
