As Australia’s politicians continue to face off around the significance of January 26 — aka Invasion Day — a Liberal MP might’ve just put forth the most startling take yet, comparing the first fleet to [checks notes] space exploration.
In this address, she reportedly suggested Captain Cook’s landing was pretty much along similar lines of Elon Musk’s dream of building a colony on Mars.
Thousands take to the streets to protest Australia Day on January 26, 2018 in Sydney. (Source: Cole Bennetts/Getty Images)
“All those years ago those ships did not arrive, as some would have you believe, as invaders. They did not come to destroy or to pillage,” she said at an address in St Matthew’s Anglican Church, per the SMH.
“In what could be compared to Elon Musk’s Space X’s efforts to build a new colony on Mars, men in boats arrived on the edge of the known world to embark on that new experiment. A new experiment and a new society.”
And if you’re already cringing, there’s more. Apparently, just like astronauts arriving on a new planet, the first settlers would be confronted with “a different and strange world, full of danger, adventure and potential”, she said.
“The imperial impulse to extract wealth and rule through naked violence could have been the norm. But that would not be our fate as a nation,” Ley said, per the SMH.
“Despite being a colony built by convict labour, the society our ancestors would build here across our wide brown land would be one in the mould of the liberal tradition.”
I mean… you couldn’t make this up if you tried.
Koomurri Dance Group members Kerry Johnson and Rayma Johnson pose for photos during a NAIDOC Week event hosted by The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. (Source: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
Perhaps unsurprisingly at this point, Ley went on to condemn the Invasion Day marches taking place across the country, suggesting we need to “reject what those mobs are saying today through their loudspeakers and their iPhones”.
“The problem with those activists is they are so fixated with projecting themselves as survivors, that they leave no room for us to come together as citizens,” she said, per the SMH.
“And history shows us strong and successful societies are not made up of survivors, they are built and maintained by citizens.”
To kick off a quick history lesson, the arrival of the first fleet in 1788 and colonisation of this country marked the beginning of genocide of Aboriginal peoples and the destruction of their culture, the effects of which are still being felt today.
Contrary to claims changing the date is an affront to the Australian identity, it actually marks a dedicated effort for us to come together as citizens on this day of mourning, recognising January 26 doesn’t represent an inclusive day for everyone.
People march down Elizabeth Street as part of an ‘Invasion Day’ march on January 26, 2019 in Sydney. (Source: Don Arnold/Getty Images)
Addressing crowds outside Parliament House in Melbourne today, Indigenous elder and historian Uncle Gary Foley perhaps put it best that January 26 is “the day that we remind the Commonwealth that we’re still here.”
“Today is the day that we remind them that we can’t have reconciliation without recognition,” he said.
Similarly, in an address at Sydney’s Invasion Day march, organisers held a minute of silence before the first speaker addressed the significance of this day on Gadigal land.
“This is the site of first contact. This is the first site of invasion,” they said.
“Not only do we celebrate Survival Day but it is also a day of mourning.”
A peaceful protest is held at the start of the Australia Day Parade in Adelaide on January 26, 2020 in Adelaide. (Source: Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)
He was also quick to stir the pot last year when he called for a boycott of Woolworths for their decision to not stock Australia Day merchandise, accusing the business of “peddling woke agendas” and “trying to cancel Australia Day”.
As the battleground heats up heading into the federal elections, we really shouldn’t be surprised politicians are outlining their stances — but this one’s especially cooked.
