When Donald Horne first coined the phrase "the lucky country" in 1964 he meant it as a term of reproach. Australia, he argued, was "a lucky country run mainly by second rate people who share its luck. It lives on other people's ideas, and, although its ordinary people are adaptable, most of its leaders (in all fields) so lack curiosity about the events that surround them that they are often taken by surprise".
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He was critical of a lack of enterprise and argued that rather than going down the path of innovation and excellence Australians waxed prosperous on the back of abundant resources, a democratic form of government inherited from the colonising power, and a continuing influx of migrants.
We were, he said, a nation that was content to pick the low hanging fruit.
While these observations may hold true to some extent, the events of the past 18 months are proof great progress has been made. Australians have been tested by drought, fire, flood, and pestilence to a degree we have never experienced before. As a people we have held our own, and prevailed, while larger, older, and wealthier nations have been bent to their breaking points.
Australia truly is the lucky country in 2021 and, having contributed greatly to making our own luck through a strong sense of social cohesion, informed and effective national, state and territory leadership, and a willingness to learn, innovate, and to adapt, we have much to celebrate this Australia Day.
In addition to supporting our regional communities through the tribulations of droughts, fires and floods, we have also kept our towns and cities remarkably coronavirus free while the pandemic ravages the globe, and sustained millions of our citizens in relative comfort and dignity during the COVID-19-induced recession.
These achievements culminated in Monday's welcome news the Pfizer vaccine has been approved by the TGA and, along with the AstraZeneca vaccine, will soon be administered as one of the largest public health initiatives in Australian history.
That said, it would be inappropriate for Australians to turn a blind eye to the growing calls to change the date on which we celebrate our national unity. Contrary to what some assert, the debate isn't about whether or not we should celebrate but that, rather than bringing us together, the current date is seen by millions of Australians as divisive.
While surveys on the subject have shown about half of Australians (48 per cent, according to a new Ipsos poll) believe the date should not be changed, more than half of Australians under 30 (54 per cent) believe it should be.
There are strong parallels between the debate over same-sex marriage, which was carried by a resounding majority when the question was finally put to the people, and the Australia Day date debate. In the early stages of that campaign the question was all about "why should we allow same sex couples to marry?". Over time the tone of the debate, and the weight of public opinion, shifted to "why shouldn't we?".
It is not unreasonable to predict the Australia Day debate will evolve along similar lines as more and more people become informed about the issues and realise that while the landing at Botany Bay means little to them, it matters mightily to those who were dispossessed.
If the trajectory of the debate continues as it has, the challenge will be to manage this transition of opinion so the community as a whole, especially those who are presently the most reluctant, come along on the journey. It has to be about education and discussion, not confrontation and forced conversion.
The tapestry of unity can only be woven on the loom of consensus.
