Historically, in 1788, January the 26th is the day England's Sir Arthur Phillip and an entourage of marines and officers claimed the land in the name of King George the Third.
Among Indigenous people, there is, of course, strong support for moving the celebrations from that date -- but not total support.
Australia Day is intended as a day to unite the nation, but, for many in the Indigenous community, it is a day of protest and mourning.
A growing number of councils across the country are beginning to dump their planned Australia Day celebrations in sympathy with those emotions.
Two Melbourne councils, Darebin and Yarra, have voted to drop their celebrations on January the 26th.
Hobart City Council says it is considering the move, and Fremantle council in Western Australia already is delaying its celebrations.
The co-chairman of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, Rod Little, says he and the Congress admire the councils for what they have done.
"The Congress has commended those councils, the Fremantle City Council and others. And I think it's brave of those councils to stimulate a discussion that needs to be had, because we are an evolving society."
In Melbourne, long-time Indigenous activist Robbie Thorpe says simply changing the date will not resolve tensions but having Australia Day on January the 26th is inappropriate.
"It's offensive and insulting and denies us our humanity, our human rights, our dignity. You know, we've seen our country destroyed in a very short space of time."
But there are others with a different view.
Gordon Workman is the former president of the Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation in western Sydney.
He suggests changing the date for Australia Day celebrations will only create more division in the country.
"A push to change Australia Day, it is pushing a wedge between white and Indigenous Aborigines of this country. That's all it is, nothing more, nothing else."
He says the debate is futile and the community needs to move forward.
"I mean, the past is the past here. Nobody can go back and change it. But we can change what's coming, and that's what we should be focusing on, not a day."
In response to the moves to shift Australia Day celebrations, the Federal Government has stripped two councils of the power to hold citizenship ceremonies.
Package by Lydia Feng and voiced by Kirstyn Lindsay
