Dear Reader,
In recent years, respect for and celebration of Australia Day has been under assault. We are told to see our nation’s birth only through the lens of grievance and wrongdoing (as though no other civilisation has ever been founded amid hardship, conflict, or moral complexity). No country is perfect, however, Australia’s foundation forged through British colonial settlement, established something extraordinary for its time: the rule of law, equality before the law, and the beginnings of a democratic and egalitarian society.
One of the most remarkable early examples came just days after the First Fleet arrived, when Governor Arthur Phillip granted permission for a convict, Henry Kable, to sue a ship’s captain in court for theft. This was a radical act in the 18th century. In England, convicts were considered “civilly dead, stripped of legal personhood and rights”. Yet in the infant colony of New South Wales, a transported prisoner could stand before the law and seek justice. That decision established a founding principle that in this new land, the law would rule, not class, not birth, not power.
This commitment to legal equality laid the groundwork for the uniquely Australian idea of a “fair go” and the belief that everyone, regardless of origin, is entitled to dignity, opportunity, and protection under the law. That principle alone is one of the benchmarks that makes our national story worthy of respect.
Australia Day should be a moment to reflect on that inheritance with gratitude: a civilisation built not on tribalism or tyranny, but on ordered liberty, democratic development, and the rule of law that has allowed one of the most successful, peaceful, and diverse societies in the world to flourish.
At the centre of this foundation stands Captain Arthur Phillip, a leader of rare character, restraint, and moral clarity. Tasked with commanding the First Fleet and establishing a penal colony on the far side of the world, Phillip faced conditions that would have broken most men: uncharted territory, scarce supplies, disease, unfamiliar climate and terrain, and the responsibility for more than a thousand souls, many of them desperate, damaged, and written off by society. Yet he governed not with cruelty, but with discipline tempered by humanity.
Phillip believed that the success of the new colony depended not on force alone, but on order, justice, and the civilising power of law. He insisted on rationing fairness, punished corruption, protected the vulnerable, and in an age of empire, sought to restrain violence and impose moral limits on power. His determination that even convicts were entitled to legal process, food, and basic dignity set the tone for a society unlike any other in the world at the time.
Under Phillip’s leadership, the colony took its first steps toward becoming a lawful, stable, and ultimately free society. He planted the seeds of institutions, accountability, and civic order that would evolve into Australia’s democratic system. In an era when authority was often arbitrary and brutal, Arthur Phillip was committed to justice, responsibility, and the idea that a new society could be built on principles, not merely power.
Phillip also sought peaceful relations with the Aboriginal people, at a time when such restraint was far from the norm. He gave explicit orders that Indigenous Australians were to be treated with “amity and kindness” and that any violence against them by settlers would be punished. He understood that the success of the colony depended not only on survival, but on moral authority and lawful conduct.
His efforts to build understanding — particularly through figures such as Bennelong — reflected a belief that the new society should be governed by justice rather than conquest alone. While the encounter between ancient cultures and a new civilisation was inevitably fraught and sometimes tragic, Phillip’s intention was clear: this would not be a colony founded on indiscriminate brutality, but one governed by law, restraint, and a recognition of shared humanity. In this, too, he laid down an early marker of the Australian tradition of fairness, decency, and respect for the dignity of all.
Today’s students are all but ignorant of the founder of our nation and the heroic efforts of Captain Phillip. A search by name in the National Curriculum produce only two results – both non-compulsory elaborations – one for grade four “Describing the events around the establishment of the First Fleet….” And once for grade five where it proposes students ponder “What if Arthur Phillip had not captured Bennelong?”
However, despite the best efforts of the education system and the corporates to discredit and diminish Australia Day, there is hope. Recent IPA polling shows the push to make Australia Day a voluntary day off is resoundingly rejected – particularly by young Australians, with 72 percent of 18-24 year old’s disagreeing with the idea.
It has always been important to celebrate our national day – now maybe more than ever.
New Release Curriculum material
The IPA Schools Program is pleased to release a significant new resource for educators examining the life and legacy of Captain Arthur Phillip – sailor, Governor, spy, and Founding Father of Australia.This unit enables students to engage with Phillip’s leadership and the foundations of the Australian nation at a more rigorous and intellectually mature level than is possible in the primary years. It is aligned with the Civics and Citizenship markers of the curriculum for Years 7 and 8, justifying its use in the classroom.
Out and About:
Wednesday December 31st Colleen Harkin on The Bolt Report Sky News Australia
Friday January 9th Colleen Harkin on Credlin Sky News Australia
Monday January 12th Colleen Harkin on Credlin Sky News Australia
Friday January 16th Colleen Harkin The Weekly Wrap Mornings ABC Radio Melbourne
Quote of the Month:
The atrocity of the Bondi terrorist attack, preceded by years of street protests, has brought into sharp focus the erosion of gratitude for, and commitment to, Australian values and how this great country came to be. We must ensure that Australia does not become a patchwork of competing tribes and cultures. Australian traditions and Australian culture are definable. They are unique. Our culture is something to be protected, valued, and proudly passed on.
It is incumbent on each and everyone of us to stand tall and proudly protect and celebrate our culture.
It brings to mind this:
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”
John Stuart Mill 1867
Happy Australia Day!
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