Australia Day celebrations omitting the national flag as dissent grows against the holiday

The Australian flag appears to be slowly disappearing from Australia Day celebrations across the country as opinion around the national day becomes increasingly divisive.

The flag is being shunned by Australia Day opponents as photos from across the country on Australia Day show very few flags on display, amid protests over the holiday in major capital cities.

Recent polls suggest that while most Australians believe January 26 should remain Australia Day, there is a growing group who would prefer it to be moved to a less polarizing date.

A survey conducted by the conservative think tank, IPA, surveyed 1,038 people across different age ranges. about his attitude to change the date of Australia Day.

The survey results show that 62 per cent of people believe Australia Day should be celebrated on January 26, while only 17 per cent believe the date should be moved and 21 per cent had no opinion.

However, there is a growing resentment towards the holidays.

“We should acknowledge that support for celebrating Australia Day on January 26 has fallen from 75% in 2019 to 69% in 2021 and now to 62% in 2023,” said John Roskam, a senior fellow at the Institute for Public Affairs. , wrote about the results.

The Institute for Public Affairs poll found that 62 per cent of Australians support Australia Day being celebrated on January 26, with just 11 per cent of those polled believing the date should be moved.

The IPA poll also revealed a significant decline in support for January 26 being Australia Day, falling from 75 per cent in 2019 to 62 per cent in 2023.

“Only 42 per cent of 18-24 year olds agreed Australia Day should be celebrated on January 26, 30 per cent disagreed and 28 per cent had no opinion.”

So while a rapidly growing younger generation of Australians believe in changing the debate, there is still a large part of the nation that is simply enjoying the holidays.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country to protest on Australia Day (pictured)

In the run up to the holidays, retail giant, Kmart, stopped stocking Australian flag products that are usually available year-round.

“We respect that January 26 means different things to different people and we aim to foster an environment that is inclusive and respectful for both our customers and our teams,” a Kmart spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

“It is for this reason that we will also give all of our team members the option to work or not on that day, with the option to substitute another day.”

The poll also showed that 42 per cent of 18-24 year olds agreed that Australia Day should be celebrated on January 26, 30 per cent disagreed and 28 per cent had no opinion.