Letter
Australia Day
Australia Day! Much has been said about Australia Day, Invasion Day, Survival Day. Whichever way we look at it, it doesnt stack up as a National Day of Celebration. And let us not forget what were celebrating on January 26th each year, the theft of land from the First Nations!
Im afraid thats not my cup o tea. Nor is coming up with any other day that may tickle anybodys fancy. We CANNOT have a National Day of Celebration until we become a united nation. At present we are a divided nation!
And we will remain so until we become united as a nation which of course wont happen until we sit down with First Nations and sign a Treaty. But first we must start telling the Truth. Without telling the truth there can be no treaty and without a treaty there can be no voice. Remember Truth, Treaty, Voice!!
Furthermore, First Nations Sovereignty was never ceded and it cannot co-exist with the Sovereignty of the Crown. This can only be got around by Australia adopting a new Constitution where First Nations Sovereignty and Australian sovereignty can co-exist. The new Australian constitution will also adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
— John Bentley from Tongala