An assistant minister in the Turnbull government has labelled a renewed push to change the date of Australia Day as nothing but a ‘publicity stunt’ by the Greens.
Liberal MP Alex Hawke, who assists Peter Dutton in the new Home Affairs portfolio, said he rejected the argument that the January 26 celebration had become “divisive”.
"It is a date, I think, that has overwhelming community support," Mr Hawke told ABC radio on Tuesday morning.
“This is effectively a Greens' publicity stunt on repeat.”
The government blowback comes after the Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, flagged the ‘change the date’ campaign as one of his party’s major focuses in 2018.
The renewed push from the Greens, who hold nine Senate seats and one seat in the House of Representatives, comes just weeks before this year's Australia Day.
Some local councils in Victoria have changed the date of their local celebrations already, including Yarra, Darebin and also Fremantle in WA.
Senator Di Natale said the federal Greens would reach out to more than 100 progressive councillors around the country as part of the campaign.
“It might not be this year, it might not be next year, but I'm very confident that ultimately we'll see the date changed," he said on Monday.
The issue has attracted more public attention in recent months following the decision of the ABC's youth radio station Triple J to move its popular Hottest 100 countdown away from January 26, in keeping with feedback from a listener survey.
Many Indigenous leaders have been pushing for the change for years.
January 26 marks the date the First Fleet landed in Sydney Cove in 1788 and the beginning of British colonisation in Australia.
The Turnbull government is strongly opposed to moves to change the date of Australia Day and has punished councils that make efforts to separate the occasion from January 26 by revoking their right to conduct citizenship ceremonies on the day.
Mr Hawke said there was a diversity of opinion in the Indigenous community and many wanted Australia Day left alone.
Warren Mundine, the former head of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s indigenous advisory panel, said there were more practical problems facing the community.
"I'm with Aboriginal communities every month, and changing the date isn't number one, two, three, four, fifth on their agenda," Mr Mundine said.
"It is education, jobs, it is to get business activity happening, and to get better healthcare.
"If the Greens were fair dinkum they would concentrate on these issues rather than something that is not going to make a difference to anyone."
