Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has criticized Cricket Australia for its decision to cancel all forms of the sport on Australia Day from 2025 and consult indigenous groups on how to commemorate January 26.
Cricket fans across the country won’t see any team in green and gold playing on Australia Day in 2025, with the team’s closest Test match starting on January 29 against Sri Lanka.
It comes after Cricket Australia pledged not to mention the words “Australia Day” during the Gabba Test in Brisbane earlier this year, when the second day of the Test against the West Indies fell on a national holiday.
Now the shadow minister for Indigenous Australians has criticized Cricket Australia and told organizers to “stick to sport and stay out of politics”.
‘Why suddenly… Cricket Australia and groups like this have to turn around and say, oh, we’d better consult a group of indigenous Australians?’ Senator Price asked on Sky News.
‘What about cricket fans across the country?’
Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has criticized Cricket Australia for its handling of the Australia Day matches.
Australia will not play Test matches or any other form of cricket on next year’s national holiday (pictured left to right: Test stars Steve Smith, Mitch Marsh and Alex Carey)
Senator Price also challenged Cricket Australia by asking who was consulted before decisions were made about national day.
‘Which indigenous Australians are you going to consult?’ she asked.
‘Those who were in favor of activism and changing the date of Australia Day?
“Or those who are proud to call themselves Australians in this country, who voted No during the referendum, who are fed up with separatism and constantly being portrayed as victims?”
However, Cricket Australia bosses say the decision has nothing to do with previous controversies that have unfolded in and around the national holiday.
The men’s singles final of the Australian Open is scheduled for the night of the 26th of next year and is always a bonanza of television ratings.
The tennis masterpiece is one of the main reasons why Cricket Australia has chosen to host the Big Bash final on January 27, which is a public holiday in 2025.
Broadcasters Fox Sports and Channel Seven supported the governing body’s decision.
Australia Day has become a divisive issue, with protesters starting a demonstration outside Brisbane’s Gabba ground on January 26 this year (pictured).
Cricket fans across the country will not be able to watch any Australia Day matches next year, but sport bosses say the decision has nothing to do with past controversies that ran up to January 26 (pictured , Captain Pat Cummins).
“We determined that January 27 was the best date for the BBL final this season as it would give as many fans as possible the opportunity to attend or watch one of the great events in Australian sport,” a spokesperson for Cricket Australia. News Corporation.
“We make our scheduling decisions based on the best interests of the fans and do not rule out playing on any day in the future.”
Scheduling the test over the Australia Day weekend was itself controversial in the eyes of some, with all-rounder Ash Gardner, who is Indigenous, previously describing it as a day of “pain and mourning”.
Gardner found support from men’s Test captain Pat Cummins and star batsman Steve Smith.
Both stated that January 26 is not an appropriate time to celebrate the national holiday, the date being a highly controversial issue due to the landing of Britain’s First Fleet in Australia.
Smith formed his opinion after chatting with teammate Scott Boland, who is of Indigenous heritage.
The cricketers’ stance angered some sections of the public at the time, with 3AW Morning presenter Tom Elliott scathingly criticizing Cummins.
“It makes me angry,” Elliott said.
“You sit there and pontificate, saying, oh well, Australia Day is a source of pain for so many people, we have to change the date.
‘Hey, Pat Cummins, you get paid millions of dollars to pay for cricket. If it weren’t for the British settlement in Australia, there would be no cricket here.
“So money is made, quite directly, from the fact that we were colonized by the United Kingdom.
Then you sit there criticizing the whole thing. He’s just an absolute hypocrite.
In what has been a polarizing move dating back to 2021, Cricket Australia has not mentioned the words “Australia Day” in any of its marketing or promotional events.