Should brands celebrate Australia Day? If so, how?

As a former Australia Day Ambassador for the Victorian Government’s Australia Day Council, I’ve spoken at many Australia Day celebrations, both in Victoria and Tasmania. Most of my presentations were, at my request, in regional Victoria. These were (and remain) joyous and inspiring events – many featuring citizenship ceremonies where the community would welcome new Australians into their midst. My memories of them are, without exception, very fond.

Australia Day events were coordinated by the Australia Day Council and were staged in partnership with local councils and their auxiliaries, with the help of sponsorship from Woolies – itself a proud Australian company. Most also had small local sponsors helping cover the barbecue breakfast and orange juice, small expressions of support that were as uniformly positive as the celebrations themselves. Sadly, the program seemed to lose steam and I no longer choose to officiate.

In the meantime, Australia Day itself has become a touchstone for division. The current discourse around the timing and meaning of Australia Day is largely driven by activists and a small number of progressive councils – a vocal minority of energised people. As I suggested in CMO Magazine way back in 2019, however, as Australia Day becomes increasingly divisive, so does its use as a marketing tool by brands become more problematic. It is impossible to ignore that fact that many Australians find the notion of our national day being the date of the anniversary of the arrival of the first fleet. In fact, recent polling showing that around 65% of urban Australians (Roy Morgan 2022) are now open to a change.