I see Tim Cahill has received the Order of Australia and justifiably so compared to others receiving the award.

I’m celebrating today for living in the best country in the world. Have fun.

Here is aloisi for a spot in the World Cup!!

I agree with you Paul C Aus is the best country in the world  even before the USA .I came to Australia as a 7year old back in 1948 that's 73 years ago and the secret is that if you migrate to this country you have to ASSIMILATE .......Happy Australia day to all................charliecat

So great to see so many Aussie flags flying around SE Queensland!!

What a hotbed that subject is..

I just love this memory! Funny thing is, I only heard this on replay because I was at the game, but once I watched the shootout back, over and over, this memory was etched in my mind! 

Well said chairliecat.

I'm off celebrating with all my friends today. Most came to this country when very young. We'll play Aussie music, drink Australian beer and wine whilst wearing Australian symbols in celebration of the great achievements as a country. 

I'm also happy someone that represents our football was given an Award.

So did the mascot for some NRL team. Huuuuuuge honour it seems

Just watching the 2005 shootout now and JA celebration, was there ever a single moment in Aus sports that has meant so much? 

USA? LOL

It is.

I've just attended an 8 000 - 10 000 plus rally to Change The Date, which is huge per capita head in this neck of the woods. The Aboriginal people have suffered a lot and the date of January 26th epitomises oppression for them.

The Change The Date rally was organised by the Aboriginal movement. It  was attended by many activists from the union movement, Climate Action, environmentalists and civil liberties.  State Labor and Green leaders, a spokesperson for the union movement,  an Anglican Church Minister,  plus the Lord Mayor addressed the rally in support of the Indigenous speakers. I had a lot of friends attending, not involved in these groups either. 

I've lived in three countries and travelled to 25, and would agree that in my part of Aus it is a fantastic place to live, even if we don't have football as one of the most popular sports.

So the usual rent-a-crowd...

So that’s only about 25,990,000 who didn’t attend your little parade.

The protests are very disappointing. Changing the date will only lead to further demands. I see another aboriginal activist is demanding every aboriginal person receives $1M as reparations from disposition. Every olive branch extended is thrown back, it’s an endless cycle. Leave the date, if you don’t like it then go to work.

Fuck this forum is full of hateful, sociopathic rednecks 

Why? The vast majority of Australian's actually celebrate Australia Day and don't have a problem with the date? It's a day to spend with family & friends & acknowledge that we are truly lucky to live in the best country in the world 

And lots of people who immediately resort  to childish name calling if they disagree with an opinion.  But I’m sure you consider yourself ‘inclusive’, eh?

Craig Foster, who today received an OAM, has written an excellent article in the Guardian. I suggest everyone reads it. 

Change the date.

There is nothing wrong with Australia Day in itself but celebrating it on a date which is insensitive to Indigenous people shows that we have some way to go before being a fully inclusive society.

#alwayswasalwayswillbe

Is it not funny for people like you who for 365 days a year  who spout diversity, cultural enrichment and refugees being welcome on these shores, can on one day of the year be against a day that celebrates the day that brought much needed diversity and cultural enrichment to these shores as well as refugees fleeing famine and political/religious oppression in their homelands (namely the Irish and the Scottish).

That's a creative way of framing a date that is associated with invasion and attempted genocide.

0-0 ht in this argument hopefully the second half will be more exciting 

Seems a lot of people on this forum clearly wish that this nation was never founded and they had never been born. They may have a point.

Weird strawman.

I can wish that Australia was founded without the attempted genocide and crimes committed against Indigenous people.

And here it is. This thread is the reason why we as a nation can't move on . Instead of having an open discussion about the date we get one side acting like assholes. 

Exactly, that ‘one side’ aren’t capable of open discussion. I posted earlier about an article written by  Craig Foster in the Guardian.
Until people can see beyond their own ‘little bubble’ there won’t be any concensus.

I'm confused. It says Carlito posted two posts ago but when quoted by Libelous it says MvFCArsenal16.8 as the poster.

How does that work? 

That's because MvFCArsenal was his original username.

Ah right. Couldn't find an option in the account settings. Does it still exist? 

It’s just the f****d up 442 forum. It needs to be destroyed and re-invented.

I'm not sure tbh.