Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has lashed the ABC for an online article that detailed Australia Day and Invasion Day events, claiming the public broadcaster suggested the two names were interchangeable.
Mr Fletcher, who initially decided not to weigh into the issue citing the editorial independence of the public broadcaster, said in a statement on Monday that the article was “incorrect”.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has criticised the ABC for an online article that provided details of Invasion Day rallies alongside Australia Day events.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“The ABC has clearly got this one wrong,” Mr Fletcher said.
“The name of our national day is well understood and supported, and for the ABC to suggest otherwise -- that in some way Invasion Day is interchangeable with Australia Day -- is clearly wrong.”
Mr Fletcher said the name of Australia Day was contained in legislation and was in common usage by the “overwhelming majority of Australians”.
“While the ABC has editorial independence, and I do not control what it says, I call on the ABC to correct this inaccurate article,” Mr Fletcher said.
Mr Fletcher’s revised statement comes after he declined to weigh into the issue on Sunday, telling The Australian newspaper: “The position taken by the ABC is a matter for which the ABC must take accountability, as the ABC, by statute, has editorial independence from government.”
In a statement, the ABC said the name “Australia Day” remained its “default terminology” for January 26, but defended the use of Invasion Day in its coverage
“We also recognise and respect that community members use other terms for the event, including “26 January”, “Invasion Day” and “Survival Day”, so our reporting and coverage reflect that.”
The article was also seized upon by other Coalition MPs, including NSW Police Minister David Elliott who accused the public broadcaster of promoting the Invasion Day events while COVID-19 public gathering restrictions were in place, labelling it “breathtakingly irresponsible”.
“Anyone who attends tomorrow will be exposed to fines and imprisonment,” Mr Elliott said.
Mr Elliott, who said he would make a formal complaint against the broadcaster, also criticised the article’s terminology.
“For the ABC to take it upon themselves to change the name to ‘Invasion Day’ just goes to show how out of touch they are with Australians,” Mr Elliott told 2GB radio.
The article, titled “Australia Day/Invasion Day 2021 events guide for Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin”, was published on the ABC website on Sunday morning.
It provides details on Australia Day celebratory events being held across the country as well as Invasion Day rallies, which are also held on January 26 to commemorate the experience of colonisation from the perspective of Indigenous Australians.
“January 26 marks Australia Day or Invasion Day, typically seen as a celebration of the nation or a day of sorrow for the colonisation of an ancient culture,” the article states.
Lisa Visentin is a federal political reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, covering education and communications.
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2021-01-24 23:11:00Z
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