Anthony Albanese declares he’s ‘absolutely’ celebrating Australia Day on Jan 26

Anthony Albanese will “absolutely” be celebrating on January 26, saying Australia Day is a “wonderful thing” just days after a new poll revealed support for the public holiday had risen.

The Prime Minister said the national day should be used as an opportunity to shape a new future “together”.

“The citizenship ceremony, seeing the joy on people pledging their allegiance to our country, is something that lifts me up every year,” Mr Albanese said on Friday.

Many First Nations Australians consider January 26 a day of mourning, but a recent poll from Resolve showed public support for the national day had grown from 47 to 61 per cent over the past two years.

Mr Albanese said it was an “opportunity to celebrate everything we’ve built together and be optimistic for the future we can shape together”.

“Whether you are someone whose ancestors have loved and cared for this land for 60,000 years, or whether you are making the pledge of commitment as a new citizen, all of us belong to the greatest country on Earth and all of us can take pride in a national story written by the courage of our people,” he said.

“Whether you’re heading to the beach, having friends over for a barbie, or hitting the road for the long weekend, I wish you all a safe and happy Australia Day 2025.”

The national long weekend got off to a sour start in the Eastern States when vandals beheaded bronze statues of former prime ministers Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd, and caused $140,000 damage at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.

A Captain Cook statue in Sydney was also splashed with red paint, sparking a police investigation.

Captain James Cook claimed Australia’s east coast for Great Britain in 1770, but it was Captain Arthur Phillip who raised the Union Jack flag in Sydney on January 26, 1778.

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has vowed to enshrine January 26 as Australia’s national holiday in law if elected as prime minister at this year’s election and has urged Australians to be “patriotic and proud” this weekend.

“To be an Australian is to have won the lottery of life — and on Australia Day, we should be proud,” Mr Dutton said.

“Australia Day is a celebration of the greatest country in the world, and we should not be afraid of celebrating it.”

Mr Dutton has recently courted controversy, over his refusal to stand in front of the Aboriginal flag — if elected prime minister.

Former Liberal Indigenous affairs minister Ken Wyatt called those comments “disappointing” but has backed keeping Australia Day on January 26 and, on Friday, he urged all Australia to fly both flags “with pride”.

“I call on all leaders to fly both flags, because I think it’s important that we acknowledge who we are. We’re a multicultural society now,” Mr Wyatt said.

“The flags that we have, the Australian and Aboriginal flags are part of our make up. The day is about coming together . . . I know we have a terrible history of the past and I acknowledge many of my own people will disagree with me, but this is a perennial chestnut that we debate only in the week leading up to Australia Day.

“Ultimately when we become a republic, that’s when we’ll change.”