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Further implications
Whether or not the date on which Australia Day is celebrated is ultimately changed across the country is unlikely to remove the divisiveness of the day.
Much of the dispute seems to be grounded in what we, as a country, choose to celebrate about ourselves. The current January 26th date accentuates that division, because many indigenous Australians see it as a celebration of the British annexation of the country of their ancestors. For those of non-British backgrounds, a focus on Australia's British legacy can also be seen as diminishing the value of what they have brought to this country.
However, attempts to recast the day, acknowledging Aboriginal dispossession and the contributions of non-British Australians are also fraught with difficulty. They are seen as offensive by many of those who believe Australia's British legacy and Anglo-Saxon-Celtic traditions are what are most distinctive and valuable about this nation.
The whole debate reflects an uncertainty about Australia's national identity. This is an issue of long-standing. Part of it seems to derive from our junior status on the world stage as a young nation, at least in terms of our Anglo-European origins. The growth in migration since World War II, such that Australia now terms itself a multicultural nation, has created some strain, now intensified by anxiety and increased xenophobia in response to Islamic terrorist groups operating around the globe.
The on-going apprehension regarding finite resources and a supposed lack of opportunity for those who have 'grown here' rather than 'flown here' is also an element in the mix of contending views. As evidenced by the Brexit vote in Great Britain and the recent Trump presidential campaign in the United States, a narrow, self-protecting nationalism is one response to increased unemployment and social dislocation. In addition to this, a growing political confidence and assertiveness among Indigenous spokespeople, coupled with Indigenous Australians' ongoingly problematic position re many socio-economic and health indicators has resulted in Indigenous dissatisfaction being voiced more loudly.
There is no simple solution to the tensions outlined above. Changing the date of Australia Day is likely to cause as much offence as it alleviates and unless the underlying issues which have made the date problematic are addressed, date-changing will not, of itself, resolve the strains.
Ultimately, the debate surrounding the change of the date of Australia Day may in itself be beneficial. The airing of prejudices and concerns is the first step to addressing them and having them dissipate. For harmony to be found, the debate may have to be a long one resulting in practical as well as symbolic measures. Causes rather than symptoms need to be addressed.