Sunrise host Natalie Barr has hit out at the ongoing debates over Australia Day and called on the government to decide whether the day should be celebrated.
Her comments come after Australian Venue Co, which owns more than 200 pubs across the country, said the January 26 public holiday is causing “sadness” and “pain” for many customers and would not be the national holiday.
‘Here we go again. This happens every year,” Barr said during an interview with Labor Senator Murray Watt on Monday morning, before she asked him if he supported the pub company’s move.
‘It seems like the culture war starts earlier every year. We’re not even into January and it’s already started,” Senator Watt explained.
“I think it’s a decision for every company to decide what they want to do. This company has decided that they don’t want to have any Australia Day celebrations, but there will be plenty of other locations around the country that will.
“I’ll leave it up to those companies to make their decisions, and their customers will make their own decisions about where they go that day.”
But Barr was unimpressed by this response and called on the government to make a decision once and for all on that day.
‘Why would you leave this to every company? Do we need a ruling on this? Every year we tear our hair out because of the argument.’
Sunrise host Natalie Barr (pictured) discussed the ban on Australia Day celebrations in more than 200 pubs, saying: ‘Here we go again! This happens every year
Senator Watt reaffirmed his position, warning Barr that the government risked violating people’s freedoms by telling bar owners what to do.
‘It’s annoying that we have a fight every year. Like I said, it’s even December and we’re getting into it.
‘But our government is not going to dictate to pubs what to do, we don’t live in North Korea. We’re not going to get a government telling pubs what 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.
The Claremont Hotel and Bassendean Hotels in Perth, the Regatta Hotel, the Boundary Hotel and Fridays riverside bar in Brisbane will also avoid the festivities, as will the Parkside Hotel and the Colonist in Adelaide.
“Australia Day is a day that causes pain for some members of our community, so we have decided not to specifically celebrate a day that causes pain for some of our customers and team,” an Australia Venues Co spokesperson said.
Indigenous activist Warren Mundine had some colorful advice for those who wanted to celebrate on January 26.
“Don’t bother having a drink in their halls, get rid of those bastards,” he said after learning of the boycott.
Mr Mundine, who led last year’s successful campaign against Indigenous Voice to Parliament, said the real reason “woke companies” are refusing 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 calling it ‘Invasion Day’.
“They hate Australians, they hate Australia, and that’s why they do these things,” he said.
Mr Mundine urged Australian revelers to instead head to the beach, barbecue some lamb and sausages or get takeaway from a restaurant “that really cares about this country – and doesn’t hate Australians – and we’ll have a great time’.
Controversy remains over celebrating the date the First Fleet arrived from England to colonize Australia, and Arthur Phillip raised the Union Jack to claim Sydney Cove for the British Crown in 1788.
The resulting dispossession of the indigenous population has led many to say that this date is one of mourning and loss, and has been renamed ‘Invasion Day’.
Invasion Day marches are now attended by thousands of people across the country.
Woolworths and Aldi decided earlier this year not to stock Australia Day merchandise, sparking a huge backlash from customers.
Many councils have also stopped holding traditional citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.
Cricket Australia and Tennis Australia will no longer mark the day during their major sporting events held in January.
Some universities and governments give their staff the opportunity to take another day off instead of January 26.
Despite calls to change the national day to something ‘more inclusive’, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out.
The Labor government has set aside $10 million in the budget for the Australia Day Events 2025 national grant program.
The Government has also committed to providing an additional $1.5 million a year in funding for the National Australia Day Council’s activities between 2024 and 2025.
A Roy Morgan Research survey conducted earlier this year found that 59 percent of people said Australia Day should continue to take place on January 26.