Australian Diplomat Faces Backlash for Cancelling Australia Day Event in London
‘You can’t have a high commissioner who says we’re going to cancel the Australia Day celebration because he doesn’t believe in Australia Day,’ said Mr. Dutton.
A top Australian diplomat has drawn fierce criticism for cancelling an Australia Day event due to supposed “sensitivities” around the national celebration.
The Australia Day Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation and the organiser of the annual Australia Day gala dinner, decided not to hold the event in January 2024 in response to instruction from Australia’s High Commissioner to the UK Stephen Smith.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, the cancellation of the popular fund-raising dinner, which has been held for 20 years at the High Commission of Australia building in London and normally attracts famous names, was the result of moves by Mr. Smith to cancel “parties without purpose.”
Jan. 26 marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet in Sydney by Captain Arthur Phillip and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia.
Most Australians consider the day a national celebration; however, a portion of the population and some Indigenous campaigners call it “Invasion Day” while proposing an alternative date.
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A spokesman for the High Commission of Australia reportedly told the organisers that Australia Day touched on “sensitivities” for some.
The Commission then suggested that the Foundation hold the gala dinner in March.
It also wanted to charge the organisers a minimum of $55,000 (US$36,000) to hold the event and impose a curfew of 11 p.m.
As a result, the Foundation was left with no choice but to cancel the annual gala dinner.
Criticism from the Opposition
On Dec. 12, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton panned the federal Labor government for nominating a high commissioner who was “ashamed of Australia Day.”
“The Albanese government needs to call up the high commissioner. He needs to announce today that he made an error in judgment (and) that he made the wrong decision.
“You can’t have a high commissioner who says we’re going to cancel the Australia Day celebration because we don’t want to hold this charity event any longer, because he doesn’t believe in Australia Day.”
High Commissioner Says It Supports Australia Day
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Mr. Smith said the event was not cancelled by the high commissioner but by the Foundation.
The spokesperson also cited hosting costs as the main reason for Mr. Smith’s new demands.
“Supporting the gala dinner in the past has cost the Australian High Commission. This year, the estimate was $55,000,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
“The High Commission determined that Australian taxpayers should no longer bear such a cost.”
Nevertheless, the spokesperson noted that it was the Labor government’s view that Australia Day should continue to be held on Jan. 26 and that Australian embassies and consulates around the world would host appropriate events to mark the event.
Specifically, around 65 percent of Australians said the date should be known as “Australia Day” in 2023, up six percentage points from a year ago.
In contrast, over a third (35 percent) believed the day should be called “Invasion Day,” down six percent points.
People aged 35 and above were increasingly likely to say Jan. 26 should be called Australia Day, while the majority of people from younger age groups believed in the opposite.
