Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Australia Day shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Australia Day offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Australia Day at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Australia Day? Wrong! If the Australia Day is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Australia Day then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Australia Day? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Australia Day and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Australia Day wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Australia Day then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Australia Day site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Australia Day, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Australia Day, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
{{Infobox Holiday ||holiday_name=Australia Day|image=Flag of Australia.svg|caption=The Australian Flag. The Flag is widely used in celebration of the birth of Modern Australia.|nickname=Foundation Day, Anniversary Day, Survival Day, Invasion Day, Day of Mourning and Protest (by some Indigenous Australians)]s in the form of a public holiday|date=
26 January honours, [Australian of the Year presented]|significance=Date of landing of
First Fleet in Port Jackson in
1788, a celebration of [Australia's "baptism of fire" as a nation during World War I, all other National Days-->
Australia Day is
Australia's official National Day, 26 January. It commemorates the landing of the First Fleet in
Sydney Cove on that day in 1788.
History
26 January 1788 in Australia was the date on which the First Fleet, under Arthur Phillip arrived at Sydney Cove and set up the Colony of New South Wales. By 26 January 1808 in Australia, the day that the New South Wales Corps arrested Governor Bligh in the Rum Rebellion, it was being celebrated as 'First Landing' or 'Foundation Day'. In 1818 in Australia (the 30th anniversary) Governor
Lachlan Macquarie had a 30-gun salute at Dawes Point and gave government workers a holiday
Sydney Gazette, 24 January
1818 (quoted in
More Pig Bites Baby! Stories from Australia's First Newspaper, volume 2, ed. Micahel Connor, Duffy and Snellgrove, 2004, ISBN 1-876631-91-0) - a tradition that was soon followed by banks and other public offices.
In 1888 in Australia all colonial capitals (with the exception of
Adelaide) celebrated 'Anniversary Day' and by
1935 in Australia all states of Australia were celebrating 26 January as Australia Day (although it was still known as Anniversary Day in New South Wales).
The 1938 in Australia
wiktionary:sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of British settlement in New South Wales in 1788 was widely celebrated. Preparations began in 1936 with the formation of a Celebrations Council. In that year, New South Wales was the only state to abandon the traditional long weekend and the annual Anniversary Day public holiday was held on the actual anniversary day - Wednesday 26 January.
In 1946 in Australia the Commonwealth and State governments agreed to unify the celebrations on 26 January as 'Australia Day', although the public holiday was instead taken on the Monday closest to
26 January.
Since 1994 in Australia all states and territories have taken the Australia Day public holiday on
26 January.
Celebrations
,
Brisbane, Queenslandimage:Country Citizenship Ceremony - (26-01-07).jpg.
Perth, Western Australia's Australia Day celebration attracted 500,000 people in 2006.
Australia Day is a national public holiday. For some years the holiday was held on the closest Monday, to provide a long weekend. It is now held on the actual anniversary, with that day being the public holiday.
The
National Australia Day Council (NADC) is the coordinating body for the Australian of the Year Awards and Australia Day celebrations across the nation. The NADC heads a network of state and territory Australia Day affiliate organisations and local Australia Day committees.
Australia Day is marked by civic celebrations around the country, including the Order of Australia and Australian of the Year awards for outstanding achievement. Air Force aerial displays are held in some capital cities. In Sydney the ferry race and tall ships race has become tradition, along with a surfing race across the harbour.
Citizenship ceremonies are also held on Australia Day. The Australia Day Achievement Medallion is awarded to citizens based on excellence in both government and non-government organisations. Customarily, the Prime Minister of Australia will make an address to the nation.
Fireworks celebrations are held in many towns and cities around the country. The
Perth, Western Australia Lotterywest Skyworks display is billed as the largest Australia Day celebration in the country, with more than a third of the city's population (around 500,000 estimated for the 2006 Skyworks) lining the river foreshore for the display.
The
Music of Australia scene enjoys a significant event on Australia Day - the
Triple J Triple J Hottest 100. The Sydney leg of the Big Day Out music festival has also traditionally occurred on Australia Day, however in 2007, the date was moved to 25 January partly because the event producer did not like Big Day Out#Flag Ban Controversy. There is also often a one day cricket match such as the
Vb series#7th Match: Sri Lanka v Australia.2C 26 January. In Canberra the Australia Day Live Concert takes place where the Australian of the Year is announced.
Suggested changes to the date
Some have suggested making
ANZAC Day Australia's national day, or changing to 1 January, commemorating 1 January
1901 when Australia's six colonies federated into one nation. Each of the alternatives raised also poses problems — ANZAC Day because many war veterans believe that it is their day, and that it is also a public holiday in New Zealand,
Cook Islands, Niue,
Samoa and Tonga, while
1 January is already a public holiday and is in the middle of the Christmas holiday season.
Many supporters of the continued use of Australia Day as Australia's national day point out that
26 January commemorates an actual historical event, similar to
ANZAC Day, Bastille Day in France, Canada Day in
Canada, Independence Day (United States) in the United States, and Republic Day in various nations.
Criticism and alternative celebrations
To some
Aboriginal Australians and sympathisers, the idea of celebrating the anniversary of the arrival of the British has been seen as incongruous with the adverse effects British settlement had on Australia's indigenous people. The sesquicentenary celebrations in 1938 were accompanied by an Aboriginal
Day of Mourning and Protest. Another large protest in 1988 led to yearly "Invasion Day" protests marking the loss of indigenous culture. The anniversary is also known as "Survival Day" and marked by events such as the Survival Day concert first held in Sydney in 1992, celebrating the fact that the indigenous people and culture have not been completely wiped out.In response, official celebrations have tried to include indigenous people, holding ceremonies such as the
Woggan-ma-gule ceremony honouring the past and celebrating the present in Sydney in 2006, involving the
Marie Bashir and Indigenous Australians.
Australia Day is also treated with ambivalence by those who consider the anniversary of the founding of one colony not relevant to Australia as a whole. Some
Western Australia point out that Western Australia was not even claimed by Britain until
19 September 1829. The importance of Australia Day as a national event is downplayed by a portion of Australians as a
cultural cringe .
References
External links
History
- Wilson's Almanac on Australia Day
Official sites
- National Australia Day Council
- Australia Day Council, New South Wales
- Australia Day Council, Australian Capital Territory
- Australia Day Committee, Victoria
- Australia Day, Queensland
- Australia Day Council, South Australia
- Australia Day Council, Western Australia
- Australia Day Council, Tasmania
- Australia Day Council, Northern Territory
Critical
- The relevancy of Australia Day by Dr Joe Toscano
Commentary
| author=Tony Stephens
| year=2006
| url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/wrapped-up-in-the-flag/2006/01/26/1138066921522.html
| title=Country gets wrapped up in the flag
| format=
| work=
| publisher=''Sydney Morning Herald''
| accessdate=2006-01-27
| accessyear=
-->
{{Infobox Holiday ||holiday_name=Australia Day|image=Flag of Australia.svg|caption=The Australian Flag. The Flag is widely used in celebration of the birth of Modern Australia.|nickname=Foundation Day, Anniversary Day, Survival Day, Invasion Day, Day of Mourning and Protest (by some
Indigenous Australians)]s in the form of a public holiday|date=26 January honours, [Australian of the Year presented]|significance=Date of landing of
First Fleet in Port Jackson in 1788, a celebration of [Australia's "baptism of fire" as a nation during World War I, all other National Days-->
Australia Day is Australia's official
National Day, 26 January. It commemorates the landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove on that day in 1788.
History
26 January 1788 in Australia was the date on which the
First Fleet, under Arthur Phillip arrived at Sydney Cove and set up the Colony of New South Wales. By 26 January 1808 in Australia, the day that the New South Wales Corps arrested Governor Bligh in the Rum Rebellion, it was being celebrated as 'First Landing' or 'Foundation Day'. In
1818 in Australia (the 30th anniversary) Governor Lachlan Macquarie had a 30-gun salute at Dawes Point and gave government workers a holidaySydney Gazette, 24 January
1818 (quoted in
More Pig Bites Baby! Stories from Australia's First Newspaper, volume 2, ed. Micahel Connor, Duffy and Snellgrove, 2004, ISBN 1-876631-91-0) - a tradition that was soon followed by banks and other public offices.
In
1888 in Australia all colonial capitals (with the exception of
Adelaide) celebrated 'Anniversary Day' and by
1935 in Australia all states of Australia were celebrating 26 January as Australia Day (although it was still known as Anniversary Day in New South Wales).
The
1938 in Australia wiktionary:sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of British settlement in
New South Wales in 1788 was widely celebrated. Preparations began in 1936 with the formation of a Celebrations Council. In that year, New South Wales was the only state to abandon the traditional long weekend and the annual Anniversary Day public holiday was held on the actual anniversary day - Wednesday 26 January.
In
1946 in Australia the Commonwealth and State governments agreed to unify the celebrations on
26 January as 'Australia Day', although the public holiday was instead taken on the Monday closest to 26 January.
Since
1994 in Australia all states and territories have taken the Australia Day public holiday on 26 January.
Celebrations
, Brisbane, Queenslandimage:Country Citizenship Ceremony - (26-01-07).jpg.
Perth, Western Australia's Australia Day celebration attracted 500,000 people in 2006.
Australia Day is a national public holiday. For some years the holiday was held on the closest Monday, to provide a long weekend. It is now held on the actual anniversary, with that day being the public holiday.
The
National Australia Day Council (NADC) is the coordinating body for the Australian of the Year Awards and Australia Day celebrations across the nation. The NADC heads a network of state and territory Australia Day affiliate organisations and local Australia Day committees.
Australia Day is marked by civic celebrations around the country, including the
Order of Australia and
Australian of the Year awards for outstanding achievement. Air Force aerial displays are held in some capital cities. In Sydney the ferry race and tall ships race has become tradition, along with a surfing race across the harbour.
Citizenship ceremonies are also held on Australia Day. The Australia Day Achievement Medallion is awarded to citizens based on excellence in both government and non-government organisations. Customarily, the
Prime Minister of Australia will make an address to the nation.
Fireworks celebrations are held in many towns and cities around the country. The Perth, Western Australia
Lotterywest Skyworks display is billed as the largest Australia Day celebration in the country, with more than a third of the city's population (around 500,000 estimated for the 2006 Skyworks) lining the river foreshore for the display.
The
Music of Australia scene enjoys a significant event on Australia Day - the Triple J Triple J Hottest 100. The Sydney leg of the Big Day Out music festival has also traditionally occurred on Australia Day, however in 2007, the date was moved to 25 January partly because the event producer did not like
Big Day Out#Flag Ban Controversy. There is also often a one day cricket match such as the Vb series#7th Match: Sri Lanka v Australia.2C 26 January. In Canberra the Australia Day Live Concert takes place where the Australian of the Year is announced.
Suggested changes to the date
Some have suggested making ANZAC Day Australia's national day, or changing to
1 January, commemorating 1 January 1901 when Australia's six colonies federated into one nation. Each of the alternatives raised also poses problems — ANZAC Day because many war veterans believe that it is their day, and that it is also a public holiday in
New Zealand,
Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and
Tonga, while
1 January is already a public holiday and is in the middle of the Christmas holiday season.
Many supporters of the continued use of Australia Day as Australia's national day point out that
26 January commemorates an actual historical event, similar to ANZAC Day, Bastille Day in France,
Canada Day in Canada, Independence Day (United States) in the United States, and
Republic Day in various nations.
Criticism and alternative celebrations
To some Aboriginal Australians and sympathisers, the idea of celebrating the anniversary of the arrival of the British has been seen as incongruous with the adverse effects British settlement had on Australia's indigenous people. The sesquicentenary celebrations in 1938 were accompanied by an Aboriginal
Day of Mourning and Protest. Another large protest in 1988 led to yearly "Invasion Day" protests marking the loss of indigenous culture. The anniversary is also known as "Survival Day" and marked by events such as the Survival Day concert first held in Sydney in 1992, celebrating the fact that the indigenous people and culture have not been completely wiped out.In response, official celebrations have tried to include indigenous people, holding ceremonies such as the
Woggan-ma-gule ceremony honouring the past and celebrating the present in Sydney in 2006, involving the
Marie Bashir and Indigenous Australians.
Australia Day is also treated with ambivalence by those who consider the anniversary of the founding of one colony not relevant to Australia as a whole. Some Western Australia point out that Western Australia was not even claimed by Britain until
19 September 1829. The importance of Australia Day as a national event is downplayed by a portion of Australians as a cultural cringe .
References
External links
History
- Wilson's Almanac on Australia Day
Official sites
- National Australia Day Council
- Australia Day Council, New South Wales
- Australia Day Council, Australian Capital Territory
- Australia Day Committee, Victoria
- Australia Day, Queensland
- Australia Day Council, South Australia
- Australia Day Council, Western Australia
- Australia Day Council, Tasmania
- Australia Day Council, Northern Territory
Critical
- The relevancy of Australia Day by Dr Joe Toscano
Commentary
| author=Tony Stephens
| year=2006
| url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/wrapped-up-in-the-flag/2006/01/26/1138066921522.html
| title=Country gets wrapped up in the flag
| format=
| work=
| publisher=''Sydney Morning Herald''
| accessdate=2006-01-27
| accessyear=
-->
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