Well, it is Australia Day. There are things to celebrate, like Governor Arthur Phillip's formal extension of religious tolerance to Catholic transportees, his assertion of the illegality of slavery and his early attempts to treat the Aboriginal people with respect and extend to them the protection of law.
There is much to regret, from the invasion and enclosure of Aboriginal lands echoing the tragic mistreatment of the Scots and Irish before them to the disgrace of blackbirding compounded by the insult of The White Australia policy.
Australia is still, despite the efforts of some, a secular, religiously and racially and culturally diverse nation of immigrants and outcasts brought together by common belief in a fair go and honest dealing.
Each of us has much to celebrate, and much to contemplate, we can revel in our achievements without forgetting te mistakes made along the way.
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