PRIME Minister Scott Morrison's clumsy defence of Australia Day last week provided a pretty concise summary of what a vexed issue the choice of date has become - albeit quite unintentionally.
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While attempting to put the case for retaining January 26 as our national holiday despite annual calls to move it to recognise the damage the arrival of the first European settlers had on the nation's indigenous populations, Mr Morrison told reporters that First Nations people weren't the only ones to suffer.
"When those 12 (sic) ships turned up in Sydney all those years ago, it wasn't a particularly flash day for the people on those vessels either," he said.
He went on to say: "You can't just airbrush things that have happened in the past. I think one of the great things about Australia ... is we are pretty up front and honest about our past."
It was a confused, even crass, spin on our history and one that will only provide further ammunition for Mr Morrison's critics who delight in the patronising but increasingly popular "Scotty From Marketing" tag.
But it summed up just how difficult it has come to celebrate our national day on January 26 each year - and also just how difficult it would be to settle on any other date.
Just as there are many people vehemently opposed to retaining January 26 as Australia Day there are also many vehemently supportive of it.
Changing the date might appease the former group but would inevitably antagonise the latter. Finding a date with universal support is an impossible dream.
So perhaps we need to change the way we look at the question of our national day if we want to find some common ground. Maybe the date we choose must become less important than what we take the day to mean.
Australia Day cannot be just a chance to wave the flag, enjoy a barbecue and celebrate what a great nation we've become - though that must be part of it. The day must also be a chance for us to reflect on the past, the triumphs and the mistakes.
We must be honest about the devastating impact the arrival of the First Fleet had on our First Nations people and we must commit to continuing down the path of reconciliation.
But should we do all that on January 26 or another date on the calendar? That's a debate for another year - at least.
What do you think?
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