I AM as patriotic as they come. And while I whole-heartedly endorse a national day for Australia to celebrate its history and its many diverse communities, I am one of those Australians who tends to agree that perhaps January 26 is not the best date for such a celebration.
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For some Aboriginal people, the raw and painful memories of the Stolen Generation still linger.
For them and their families, the day would be a major slap in the face.
It can be understood, then, why the Aboriginal Rights Fishing Group chose January 26 to stage its peaceful protest for cultural fishing rights.
While amendments were made to the Fisheries Management Act in 2010 to formally recognise the spiritual, social and customary significance of, and to protect and promote, Aboriginal cultural fishing, young Aboriginal men are still being charged for fishing outside the regulations.
The Aboriginal Rights Fishing Group has upped its protests in the past year with large gatherings of fishers flouting the rules.
The first, late last year at Broulee, saw a large group of indigenous fishers take a large catch at Broulee Beach.
A further protest this week made use of a large commercial fishing net off Barlings Beach.
While it certainly brings attention to the issue, flouting the rules is not the answer.
It is not the only way to get their message across - a large gathering, without the commercial fishing nets, would have attracted just as much media attention.
And what message are the many young children pictured in the photograph taking from these experiences? If you don’t like the rules, just break them to make your point?
Fishing has long played a major role in Aboriginal culture, and Aboriginal people deserve cultural fishing rights.
Feedback from readers on our website, and on Facebook, is that if traditional methods are used – such as hand-made tools and nets, non-powered boats – there should be no question.
Perhaps a happy medium needs to be reached.
