Our national day should well and truly give us the Brits!

I recently wrote to Prime Minister John Howard with a suggestion for making Australia Day more relevant, especially to the younger generation.
For me, Australia Day has always been a chance to celebrate our good fortune at being British subjects.
When you look around the world it is very easy to see the difficulties other countries have encountered because they did not have the benefit of a British heritage.
We in Australia should consider ourselves fortunate to have been colonised by the British.
Our relationship with our Mother Land is now a very mature one, and one based on give and take – as it has always been.
This barren continent gave birth to our nation when it took in hundreds of Britain’s unwanted convicts.
In the First World War we willingly gave thousands of our young men’s lives to defend King, Country and Empire against aggression by some of the King’s not-so-distant Teutonic relatives.
Again, in World War Two we gave – and the British eagerly took – more of our young men and women to do battle in foreign fields.
In the post-War years, Britain repaid its debt to us by allowing us to take in thousands of families its economy could not support.
On Australia Day, and in the lead-up to the centenary of our federation, it is important we recognise the role Britain has played in shaping modern Australia.
As I told the Prime Minister, I believe our links with Britain are as strong as ever.
The Sunday roast is still an institution in almost every Australian household. It certainly is in mine, even though my good lady wife, Devon, no longer has as much time to spend in the kitchen as she once did, not since she joined her Sunday ladies group that meets at one of our city’s inner-city hotels - somewhere in Spring Hill, I believe.
Television programs such as the Benny Hill Show and the Carry On films are still a staple of our entertainment industry, at least at my house.
British motor cars such as Rovers, Austins, Hillmans – and yes, even Rolls Royces – stand proudly in almost every Australian driveway.
And, as we all recently experienced, our Queen’s Christmas Day message still stops the nation.
My letter to Mr Howard suggested that we rethink our whole approach to Australia Day.
I said we should rename Australia Day as Empire Day.
We should also encourage the flying of the Union Jack on the day in preference to our own flag.
And, for the duration of Empire Day, the playing of God Save the Queen at official functions, instead of Advance Australia Fair, should be compulsory.
However, I also pointed out that there are certain sensitivities we should address, especially when it comes to the original Australians.
For that reason, extra effort should be made to recognise the role played in the development of our nation by those who were here before us - the convicts and their guards.
I am happy to report that Mr Howard responded promptly to my letter - and agree with every word of it.

Rufus Badinage MBE, now retired, is one of Australia’s leading
experts on politics and public administration having worked as a
senior bureaucrat for various state and federal governments.