A Labor MP says Australia Day is in “transition” after Australians criticized a major pub giant for banning events over the holiday at more than 200 venues.
Daniel Mulino, MP for Fraser in Victoria, was asked whether customers should boycott businesses that refuse to recognize the national day on January 26.
Dr Mulino said Australia Day was in a “transitional period” and had become “somewhat controversial” in parts of his suburban Melbourne community.
“I think the rule here is that people don’t want to be lectured to when they go to the pub or go out. But I do think there will be a variety of different things that people will want across the community,” he told Sky News on Wednesday.
“I think as a country we are going through a process where different parts of our community want to treat Australia Day differently.”
It comes after Australia Venue Co backtracked on its decision to ban Australia Day celebrations at more than 200 of its bars and clubs following mass outrage.
The Hong Kong-based group apologized within hours of Monday’s announcement, insisting that everyone was welcome to attend their venues that day.
Dr Mulino criticized the pub giant for its “single, strict rule” and for failing to consider its own customer base when it initially scrapped Australia Day events.
Labor MP Daniel Mulino (pictured) said Australia Day was in a “transition period” and Australians should be free to treat the holiday differently on Wednesday.
It comes after Australia Venue Co was forced to backtrack on its decision to ban Australia Day celebrations at more than 200 of its bars and clubs after mass outrage.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Dr Mulino’s office for further comment.
The MP’s comments come as Australian Venue Co remains tight-lipped on whether a 15 per cent surcharge will be applied to its bars and clubs on January 26.
Australian Taxpayers Alliance president Brian Marlow believes no pub should impose a surcharge on Australia Day if it has shown “hatred” towards the country and has expressed no interest in celebrating.
Marlow added that he couldn’t understand why many pub owners “fuck and complain” about their low income but then “want to slap people who want to go to the pub on Australia Day”.
Australian Venue Co in a statement said it was “sincerely sorry” for the effect of its controversial decision after it sparked a brutal public backlash.
“We can see that our comments over the weekend have caused concern and confusion,” the statement began.
‘We are sincerely sorry: our purpose is to strengthen the community in our places, not divide it.
‘It’s not for us to tell anyone whether or how to celebrate Australia Day. We acknowledge this and apologize for our comments. It was certainly not our intention to offend anyone.
Conservative commentator Steve Price (pictured) pulled no punches when he gave his two cents for the Australia Day Project ban on Monday night.
But many outraged Australians, including conservative commentator Steve Price, said it was too little, too late.
‘Apology not accepted! When will these finger-wagging corporations wake up to the fact that we don’t want to be told what to do on Australia Day, Price raged on The Project on Monday night.
‘It’s really annoying. They published it overnight, when they hear the comments from the public when they said “shut up”, they say “we didn’t mean to offend anyone.” Well, you offended people!’
Australian Venue Co owns 200 properties across Australia, including at least 90 in Queensland and another 60 in Victoria.
They include Bungalow8, Cargo, Kingsley’s Woolloomooloo and Parkside Hotel in Sydney, as well as the Esplanade Hotel, Prince of Wales, Duke of Wellington and Garden State Hotel in Melbourne.
Also on the company’s books are the Claremont Hotel and Bassendean Hotels in Perth, the Regatta Hotel, Boundary Hotel and Fridays Riverfront Bar in Brisbane, as well as the Parkside Hotel and the Colonist in Adelaide.
A long-running campaign to abolish Australia Day or change the date is making a growing number of Australians uncomfortable with our national day of celebration.
Indigenous activists and many other Australians now regard the day British settlers first landed at Port Jackson on the First Fleet in 1788 as an event to be mourned, not celebrated.