Scott Morrison says he is not necessarily advocating a new national holiday to celebrate Indigenous Australians, and just wants to have a “chat” with the public about the idea.
The prime minister floated the idea on Tuesday, saying a new national day could help address the concerns of some Indigenous Australians while still maintaining Australia Day on January 26.
A national Indigenous body told SBS News it welcomed the debate but cautioned the idea could be a “distraction” in the leadup to an election, while the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned a new public holiday would cost the economy $3 billion in lost revenue.
"I haven't said it's a public holiday or not a public holiday, I haven't been so specific, I just think we should have a chat about it," Mr Morrison told ABC radio on Wednesday.
Meanwhile the government’s finance minister, Mathias Cormann, also downplayed the idea.
“I think that people are getting way ahead of themselves,” Senator Cormann told Sky News.
The proposal was welcomed by prominent Indigenous advocate Noel Pearson but received a lukewarm response from the government’s new special envoy on Indigenous affairs, Tony Abbott, who said he would “hold judgement”.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson blasted the idea on her social media channels, calling it a “token gesture”.
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