Indian-Origin Official's Australia Day Remarks Ignite National Controversy
Giridharan Sivaraman, the Indian-origin Race Discrimination Commissioner serving in Australia's Albanese government, has ignited a fierce national debate by declaring that the country should not celebrate January 26 as Australia Day. In a powerful statement that has reverberated across political circles, Sivaraman described the date as marking the beginning of colonization that displaced First Peoples from their ancestral lands.
A Stolen Land With Nothing to Celebrate
"Australia is a stolen land and there is nothing to celebrate on January 26," Sivaraman asserted during an SBS podcast interview, his words triggering immediate controversy. The commissioner, who migrated from India as a child, expressed deep personal conflict about the national holiday, describing what he perceives as an undercurrent of aggressive nationalism surrounding the date.
"When it comes to January 26, it becomes so difficult because there's this undercurrent of nationalism – a 'love it or leave it' phenomenon," Sivaraman explained. "People adopt this attitude of 'unless you're with us, you're against us,' creating pressure to unquestioningly embrace national symbols on that day."
Personal Conflict and Historical Truth-Telling
The commissioner shared his personal struggle as an immigrant from India, stating: "January 26 is such a conflicted day. As a migrant from India who came here young, I feel very, very conflicted when I think about January 26 because I question what we're actually celebrating. We're all on stolen land and we need truth-telling about the history of this land."
Sivaraman further elaborated on systemic issues, arguing that Australian institutions were originally constructed to privilege colonialism and whiteness. "We want systems and institutions to reflect us, to be safe for us. Why don't they do that? Because they were built to really privilege colonialism and whiteness," he stated, adding that these structures were designed "to cover a lie – the lie that no one was here before."
Calls for Date Change and White Supremacist Co-option
The Race Discrimination Commissioner explicitly called for changing the date of Australia Day, asserting that January 26 has been co-opted by white supremacists. He described the historical significance of the date in stark terms: "It is a day when colonization began which led to First Peoples being forced off their country and on to missions and reserves, genocidal acts, massacres, systematic child removal and more."
"It is appropriate for the Race Discrimination Commissioner to talk about the dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of their land," Sivaraman defended his position. "It is also appropriate to talk about nationalism, like white supremacists who have used Australia Day as a platform for racism and racist hate."
Political Backlash and Defense of National Celebration
The commissioner's comments drew immediate backlash from political figures across the spectrum. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland countered that Australia Day represents "an opportunity for Australians to celebrate everything that unites us as a nation."
Opposition spokesperson Andrew Wallace was more direct, labeling Sivaraman as "ill-informed" and declaring: "To somehow suggest that Australia's institutions are biased against people because of the colour of their skin is an outrageous slur."
Media Calls for Dismissal and Immigration Criticism
Sky News host James Macpherson escalated the controversy by calling for Sivaraman's dismissal, arguing that if Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is serious about social cohesion, he should fire the commissioner. "If uniting the country is the goal, well, it is hard to see how paying a public servant $400,000 a year to preach division is part of the plan," Macpherson stated.
The media personality further questioned Sivaraman's position as an immigrant, remarking: "Most of us were born on this allegedly stolen land, but he is an Indian immigrant. He arrived with his parents and made this stolen land his home. He could go back to his own land and wake up on January 26 with a completely clear conscience."
The controversy has highlighted deep divisions within Australian society regarding national identity, historical recognition, and the appropriate way to acknowledge the country's complex colonial past while building an inclusive future.
