With talk turning to Australia Day celebrations, Amanda Jones and I got talking about the meaning of the day and this blog was the end result.

As Australia Day swings around again, I find myself thinking about citizenship, inclusion and community, common topics of discussion in disability services and I think, interesting things for Australians to contemplate at this time of year.  For our international readers, Australia Day, the 26^th January, is a public holiday set aside to celebrate the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet into Sydney Harbour.  A celebration is an interesting way to mark this date given that for Indigenous Australians, this can be seen as the beginning of a long, bloody and shameful history of oppression imposed by white settlers.  Understandably there is a lot of mixed feeling about this public holiday which some call Invasion Day, others Survival Day, in recognition of the fact that against the odds, aboriginal people and culture has survived to this day.

Australia Day calls for us to have pride in our national identity. While I love Australia and I feel fortunate to live here, there is so much in our history and current reality that I am not proud of.   In the past couple of years the Australian flag has become the subject of great debate, with people questioning whether it is more a symbol of racism than of national pride. Flags are displayed on property and garden gates like Keep Out signs rather than a welcome to our fine land, where diversity should be one of our greatest assets. I'm well aware that this is certainly not the case for everyone. However it feels important to stop and think about what the flag symbolises to different people and whether the meaning may have changed, at least for some groups in our society.  It's curious to think that rather than all meaning all, inclusion often translates to not just who is a part of the group, but rather focuses on who cannot be part of it.  The idea that everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it hurts someone else, seems to have frightening prevalence in our society at present.

I think it's interesting to consider what Australian citizenship really means, particularly as this is something we're striving to support people with disabilities to achieve. One of the things I do love about Australia Day is the stories captured at the various ceremonies around the country when people are first granted Australian Citizenship.  It makes me quite emotional to hear the varied stories about people's journeys, their pride to call themselves Australian and willingness to embrace this country 'warts and all.'  I'd love to see some ways of recognising events or achievements that mark the point when someone with a disability truly feels like a citizen.  Is it getting a qualification, a job, owning a home, joining a group or club and volunteering, is it voting for the first time? People with disabilities have the right to vote in Australia but depending on their disability, unlike all other citizens they are not legally required to. There has been some great work done to ensure that people have physical access when voting, and also looking at ensuring 'how to vote' information is provided in Easy English formats. These are excellent steps towards getting people with disabilities to the polls, but does it go far enough?

When we reflect on citizenship perhaps we need to look at how it relates to our nation as a whole. So many Australians seem to take the right to vote for granted, when often people fleeing from war and persecution see the simple act of voting as an honourable responsibility and gift. While there are mixed feelings about Australia Day, no one seems concerned about getting a day off work - over the past few days I've seen several excited posts on Facebook from those taking an extra long weekend, and lamentations from those who will be working.  It seems that no matter how much we enjoy our jobs, public holidays are still treasured above work days. Employment being another element of citizenship that is frequently taken for granted.

If we are to talk about people having to balance rights and responsibilities and being a citizen, we need to explore it fully and not just give people certain rights and certain responsibilities as token gestures. A lot of people seem to make uninformed choices and vote without thinking of the consequences- surely, rather than removing the right, responsibility, or even expectation, we should be trying to figure out what support and information people need, in order to contribute their views in a considered way.  Should we be using the donut tool with our government, to help them explore their roles and responsibilities in ensuring as many people as possible, particularly those who are marginalised, are in the best possible position to vote? Could we use a process like Working Together for Change to understand how to represent the views of a broader range of people supported by services, in order to better represent views, at times when the whole population is being asked to contribute to decision making?  Are people supported and encouraged to develop political views? Are they exposed to broad and varied ideas in order to then form their own opinions?

On the Australian government website, it lists the following on what it means to be a citizen: the right to vote, to nominate for government, to work for the government, and to live in Australia and apply for an Australian passport.  My recent read of 'Making it Personal for Everyone' by Steve Scown and Helen Sanderson really got me thinking about how organisations see their responsibilities in relation to supporting typically held views of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.  "Our work … made us consider whether we should continue with our previous passive approach 'only if they express an interest', or whether we should more positively encourage and support people into some kind of work activity, preferably paid." (pg. 78)

With every Australian state and territory now talking about self directed support (although the language varies from place to place), it seems like a great time for some rigorous explanation of what it really means to be an Australian citizen, and what it takes for people with disabilities to achieve it.  I'd love to hear how different organisations are approaching this, particularly with regards to full opportunities to vote and to work. If you'd like to share what you've tried and learned, please email me at debw@helensandersonassociates.com.au