A new poll from a conservative think tank has revealed a majority of Australians support keeping the date of Australia Day.
The Institute of Public Affairs found 76 per cent of respondents back the national holiday and don’t want to see it moved.
The figure marks a seven per cent increase from the 69 per cent recorded the previous year, and a significant boost from the 63 per cent in 2024.
Opposition to the current date has declined, with 17 per cent calling for it to be changed in 2024, 14 per cent in 2025, and now ten per cent in 2026.
Nationals leader David Littleproud told Channel Nine’s Today on Sunday that Australians had ‘got to a point in our nation that we are proud of what we’ve done’.
‘And we’ve got a lot to be proud of, and I think people are just sick and tired of us being told how bad we are and (that) we should actually not celebrate what we are and who we’ve become,’ he said.
‘We should have our chest out and our chin up about what we’ve created here in this country.
‘We’ve still got some problems, and that’s why we owe it to go back to parliament and fix some of those.’
A new poll from a conservative think tank has revealed a majority of Australians support keeping the date of Australia Day
Littleproud said Australians were ‘sick of being told and being educated at school about all the doom and gloom that’s been created’.
‘But the reality is I think there’s a lot to be proud of … and young Australians are seeing how lucky they are to live in a country as great as this,’ he said.
His comment comes as a renewed push to resolve the long-running dispute over Australia Day gains momentum.
A petition, launched by Indigenous-owned fashion label Clothing The Gap, calls for the creation of an ‘Australian Long Weekend’ by moving the holiday to the second-last Monday in January each year.
Under the proposal, which has the support of more than 14,000 people, the public holiday would always fall between January 18 and January 24, ensuring it never coincides with January 26.
‘For First Nations people, this day marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession and ongoing trauma, and has been resisted and protested for generations,’ Clothing The Gap said.
‘We are calling for the creation of an Australian Long Weekend by moving the Australia Day public holiday to the second-last Monday in January each year, creating a three-day national event.
‘This is a small but meaningful shift that offers a practical, unifying alternative – one that reduces harm and respects the lived experiences of First Nations communities.
Opposition to the current date has declined, with 17 per cent calling for it to be changed in 2024, 14 per cent in 2025, and now ten per cent in 2026
‘This proposal would create a consistent summer long weekend, with the public holiday always falling between January 18 and January 24, and never on January 26.
‘It would also create a three-day national celebration that is inclusive of First Nations people, supports truth-telling, and acknowledges our history before colonisation.’
