Wild moment Labor MP says Australia Day is ‘transitioning’ as he refuses to answer key question about pub ban
A Labor MP says Australia Day is ‘in transition’ after a major pub giant came under fire from Aussies for banning events on the holiday at more than 200 venues.
Daniel Mulino, MP for Fraser in Victoria, was asked whether customers should boycott businesses that refused to recognize the January 26 national holiday.
Dr. Mulino said Australia Day was in a “transitional period” and had become “somewhat controversial” in parts of his community in suburban Melbourne.
‘I think the rule here is that people don’t want to be lectured when they go to the pub or go out. But I do think there will be a whole range of different things that people 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 reversed a decision to ban Australia Day celebrations in more than 200 of its bars and clubs following mass outrage.
The Hong Kong-based group apologized just hours after the announcement on Monday, insisting that everyone was welcome at the venues that day.
Dr. Mulino slammed the pub giant for its “ham-fisted singles rule” and for failing to take its own customer base into account when it initially canceled the 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 reverse a decision to ban Australia Day celebrations in more than 200 of its bars and clubs following mass outrage
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Dr.’s office. Mulino for further comments.
The MP’s comments come as Australian Venue Co remains tight-lipped on whether a 15 per cent surcharge will apply to its bars and clubs on January 26.
Brian Marlow, chairman of the Australian Taxpayers Alliance, believes no pub should impose a surcharge on Australia Day if they have shown “hatred” for the country and shown no interest in celebrating.
Mr Marlow added he couldn’t understand why many pub owners “whine” about their low income but then want to “slap people in the face who want to go to the pub on Australia Day”.
Australian Venue Co said in a statement it “sincerely regretted” the consequences of its controversial decision after it sparked a brutal public backlash.
“We can see that our comments last weekend have caused both concern and confusion,” the statement began.
‘We sincerely regret that; our goal is to strengthen the community at our locations, not divide it.
‘It is not our place to tell anyone whether or how Australia Day should be celebrated. We acknowledge that and apologize for our comments. It was certainly not our intention to offend anyone.”
Conservative commentator Steve Price (pictured) didn’t mince his words when he gave his two cents worth on The Project’s Australia Day ban on Monday night
But it was too little too late for many outraged Australians, including conservative commentator Steve Price.
‘Apologies not accepted! When are these woke companies going to wake up to the fact that we don’t want them telling us what to do on Australia Day,” Price told The Project on Monday night.
‘It’s really annoying. They released this overnight, when they heard the feedback 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 the 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 riverside bar in Brisbane, as well as the Parkside Hotel and the Colonist in Adelaide.
A long-running campaign to abolish or change the date of Australia Day is leaving a growing number of Aussies uneasy about our national holiday.
Indigenous activists, and many other Australians, now view the day when British settlers first landed at Port Jackson with the First Fleet in 1788 as an event to be mourned, not celebrated.