Race Discrimination Commissioner has reignited the Australia Day debate, arguing January 26 should not be celebrated because of its links to colonisation and the dispossession of First Nations people.
Indian-origin Giridharan Sivaraman made the comments during an SBS podcast discussion with Reconciliation Australia chief executive Karen Mundine and journalist John Paul Janke, saying the national day had become deeply divisive and wrapped in what he described as an “undercurrent of nationalism”.
He said debate around January 26 often descended into a “love it or leave it” mindset, where dissenting voices were shut down.
“On that day you’re expected to kiss the flag or go away,” he said, describing his own feelings as conflicted.
Mr Sivaraman said the date raised fundamental questions about what Australians were commemorating, arguing the country needed more honest discussion about its history.
“We’re all on stolen land, and we actually need truth-telling about the history of this land.”
He also criticised Australia’s institutions, claiming they were designed to privilege colonialism and “whiteness”, and said this legacy continued to shape whether people felt safe and represented within systems of power.
In comments later published by The Saturday Telegraph, Mr Sivaraman said he supported changing the date of Australia Day, arguing it had been “co-opted” by white supremacists.
He said January 26 marked the beginning of colonisation, which led to forced removals from Country, massacres, child removals and other injustices suffered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“If our goal is a harmonious society, it would be a mark of respect to accept this is not a day to celebrate and choose a day that is less divisive.”
His remarks came against a backdrop of heightened tensions this year, with the anti-immigration ‘March for Australia’ held on January 26, and an attempted terror attack at an Invasion Day rally in Boorloo/Perth, where a device was thrown into a crowd of about 2,500 people, including children and Elders. The device failed to detonate.
The comments have drawn sharp criticism from conservative commentators.
Sky News host Freya Leach accused the commissioner of focusing on diversity and anti-racism training instead of practical skills, while fellow host James Macpherson called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to remove him, arguing his remarks undermined social cohesion.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland defended Australia Day as a chance to “celebrate everything that unites us as a nation”, while Opposition legal affairs spokesperson Andrew Wallace labelled Mr Sivaraman’s comments “ill-informed”.
“To suggest Australia’s institutions are biased against people because of the colour of their skin is an outrageous slur,” Mr Wallace said, urging the commissioner to reconsider his remarks.
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