Channel 10 takes firm stance in ongoing Australia Day debate

Channel 10 bosses have taken a firm stance on the ongoing Australia Day debate by announcing that January 26 will no longer be referred to as ‘Australia Day’ at the company.

Vice president of Paramount Australia, Beverley McGarvey, clarified her position on the matter in an all-staff email last week, according to The Australian, refusing to label the date and permitting staff to treat the day as any other by working, rather than acknowledging the public holiday.

It comes after years of large-scale protests calling to change the date.

McGarvey’s email read: “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 to say that staff could choose to work through the national holiday if they didn’t feel comfortable taking the day off.

“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,” she concluded.

Controversy has surrounded the celebration of Australia Day in recent years, with various councils around the country scrapping celebrations.

In September, a survey conducted by The City of Melbourne of more than 1600 residents found nearly 60 per cent want to see Australia Day changed to a different date.

Just 31 per cent of respondents were happy with celebrating Australia Day on January 26 — the same day that Sir Arthur Phillip arrived in Sydney Cove in 1788.

The day signifies the beginning of the British colony in Australia but is seen as a day of mourning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people who refer to January 26 as Invasion Day.

The survey of Melbourne residents found 59.9 per cent want the day moved in the next 10 years.

A spokesman for the city said council consulted with the five traditional owner organisations that make up the Eastern Kulin — all of which unanimously support changing the date from January 26.

“If endorsed, Council will continue to issue permits for events delivered by the State Government and other organisations on Australia Day, while supporting activities that acknowledge First Nations perspectives of 26 January,” the city said in a statement.

“The City of Melbourne is working to advance reconciliation and govern with Aboriginal peoples, however any decision to change the date must be made at a Federal Government level.”

In a motion that went before council in July, Lord Mayor Sally Capp called January 26 “divisive” and that there was growing sentiment among Australians for a change.

The City of Melbourne would join Yarra Council in Melbourne’s east and Darebin council in Melbourne’s north in scrapping January 26 celebrations.