Sunrise presenter Natalie Barr has unleashed on the ongoing debates over Australia Day and called on the government to decide whether the day should continue to be celebrated.
His comments come after Australian Venue Co, which owns more than 200 pubs across the country, said the January 26 public holiday causes “sadness” and “pain” to many customers and that it would not mark the national day.
‘Here we go again. Every year this happens,” Barr said during an interview with Labor senator Murray Watt on Monday morning, before asking him if he supported the pub company’s move.
“It seems like the culture war starts earlier every year. We haven’t even gotten to January and it’s already started,” Senator Watt explained.
‘I think it’s a decision for each company to decide what they want to do. This company has decided it doesn’t want to celebrate Australia Day, but there will be plenty of other places around the country that will.
“I’ll let those companies make their decisions, and their customers will make their own decisions about where they go that day.”
But Barr was not impressed with this response and called on the government to make a decision that day once and for all.
‘Why leave it in the hands of all companies? Do we need a resolution on this? Every year we tear our hair out over the argument.’
Sunrise presenter Natalie Barr (pictured) spoke out about the ban on Australia Day celebrations in more than 200 pubs, saying: ‘Here we go again! Every year this happens’
Senator Watt reaffirmed his position and warned Barr that the government risked infringing on people’s freedoms by telling pub owners what to do.
“It’s boring that we keep having a discussion every year. Like I say, it’s still December and we’re just starting it.
‘But our government is not going to dictate to pubs what they have to do, we don’t live in North Korea. “We are not going to have a government that tells pubs what they have to do on certain days of the week,” he explained.
Venues boycotting Australia Day 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 avoiding celebrations will be the Claremont Hotel and Bassendean Hotels in Perth, the Regatta Hotel, the Boundary Hotel and Fridays riverfront bar in Brisbane, as well as the Parkside Hotel and the Colonist in Adelaide.
“Australia Day is a day that causes sadness to some members of our community, so we have decided not to specifically celebrate a day that causes grief to some of our sponsors and our team,” an Australia Venues Co spokesperson said.
Indigenous activist Warren Mundine gave some colorful advice for those who want to celebrate January 26.
“Don’t bother having a drink at their venue, screw these bastards,” he said after learning of the boycott.
Mundine, who led the successful campaign against Indigenous Voice in Parliament last year, said the real reason “woke businesses” refuse to celebrate Australia Day is “they just hate the country”.
In recent years, Australia Day has become increasingly controversial with many Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians referring to it as “Invasion Day”.
“They hate Australians, they hate Australia, and that’s why they do these things,” he said.
Mundine urged Australian revelers to go to the beach, put lamb and sausages on the barbecue or buy takeaway from a place “that really cares about this country, not hates Australians, and we’ll have a great time”.
Controversy continues over the celebration of the date when England’s First Fleet arrived to colonize Australia, and Arthur Phillip raised the Union Jack to claim Sydney Cove to claim it for the British Crown in 1788.
The resulting dispossession of indigenous people has led many to say that the date is one of mourning and loss, and that it has been renamed “Invasion Day.”
Invasion Day marches have grown to thousands of people across the country.
Woolworths and Aldi earlier this year decided not to stock any Australia Day products, sparking a massive backlash from customers.
Many councils have also stopped holding traditional citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.
Cricket Australia and Tennis Australia no longer mark the day during their major sporting events held in January.
Some universities and governments are giving their staff the option of taking another day off instead of January 26.
Despite calls to change the national day to something “more inclusive” which has been ruled out by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The Labor government has set aside $10 million in the budget for the Australia Day 2025 national event grants programme.
The government has also committed to providing additional funding of $1.5 million a year between 2024 and 2025 for the operations of the National Australia Day Council.
A Roy Morgan Research poll conducted earlier this year found 59 per cent of people said Australia Day should still be celebrated on January 26.