A city in western Australia has postponed the next Australia Day celebration after consulting with Aboriginal elders, the BBC reports.
The annual holiday on 26 January—referred to by some Indigenous Australians as "invasion day"—marks the day Britain's First Fleet arrived in Australia in 1788.
The city of Fremantle said it would delay the event by two days, when it would have a "culturally inclusive alternative" which would also include celebrations such as citizenship ceremonies that usually take place on Australia Day.
"We were never trying to say to people they couldn't do anything or shouldn't do anything on Australia Day," Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt said. "That's for other people to judge. We're simply offering what I think is a really good alternative."
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has acknowledged that there is "controversy" about the date but said on Friday that he would "stick with Australia Day on the 26th."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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