‘Moral high horse’: Outrage as major pub owner bans Australia Day celebrations

Calls are being made to boycott a hospitality giant after it announced it would ban Australia Day celebrations in its venues. Fury erupted on Monday after Australian Venue Co revealed its ban, with plenty of people criticising the decision. “As many pubs collapse, please concentrate on the provision of better services, profits, and improve the state of your smelly washrooms rather than worrying about Australia Day,” one person wrote. “I’ll make sure I never set foot into any of your pubs ever again,” another man posted. “Pretty simple really — just boycott the establishments, there are plenty of other alternatives out there,” wrote another. “Let’s spread the news of these Australia Day bans far a wide and boycott these hotels, not just on that day, but every day,” another wrote. Australian Venue Co, with 200 pubs and bars including many iconic venues in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia, has directed managers not to allow flag-wavers to celebrate in its establishments on January 26. The company owns 60 venues in Victoria, 90 in Queensland, about 20 in South Australia and 10 in Sydney. “Australia Day is a day that causes sadness for some members of our community, so we have decided not to specifically celebrate a day that causes hurt for some of our patrons and our team,” an Australian Venue Co spokeswoman told the Herald Sun. Will you boycott a pub which has banned Australia Day? Queensland senator Matt Canavan said the private company was acting as “moral guardians”. Appearing on the Today show, MR Canavan acknowledged there are differing views on January 26. “Get off their moral high horse. They’re a pub, for god’s sake They deal in alcohol … I mean, let people have a good time at a pub,” the senator said. Sky News host Paul Murray joined Mr Canavan in having a crack at Australian Venue Co’s decision. “While they’re saving people ‘hurt’ by not marking Australia Day, you will still be able to lose your life savings in a poker machine on January 26,” he said. “It’s up to you. You’ve got lots of ways you can respond to this and all of them should be respectful … But most importantly you can decide where your money goes.” Former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett called the decision “divisive” and “extraordinary”. ‘They are totally out of touch with the community,’ he said. “If no one wants to participate in Australia Day celebrations at one of their venues that would be fine.” More than 80 councils around the country no longer hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26. Many regions across Australia, particularly areas with high Indigenous populations, hold community events on January 26, to show solemn support for Aboriginal Australians and the effects of colonisation. ‘Invasion Day’ rallies in the capital cities attract thousands of people. Australia Day officially became a public holiday for all states and territories 24 years ago, in 1994. The first time every Australian state celebrated January 26 as Australia Day was in 1935. ALL THE VENUES AFFECTED Victoria Anglers Tavern Apollo Bay Hotel Auburn Hotel Ball Court Hotel Beer DeLuxe Fed Square Birallee Tavern BrewDog Pentridge College Lawn Hotel Criterion Hotel Eureka Hotel Fairfield Park Boathouse Fargo and Co Flinders Hotel Garden State Hotel Golden Gate Hotel Harlow Holliava Hopscotch Hotham Hotel Imperial Hotel Bourke St Imperial South Yarra Melbourne Public Middle Park Hotel Morris House Perseverance Prahran Hotel Prince Alfred Hotel Prince of Wales Hotel Public House Richmond Club Hotel River’s Edge Events Skinny Dog Hotel State of Grace Studley Park Boathouse Swan Hotel Terminus Hotel Abbotsford The Bridge Hotel The Crafty Squire The Duke of Wellington The Esplanade Hotel The Exchange Hotel The Gardiner Hotel The Hawthorn Hotel The Local The Park The Posty The Provincial The Smith The Station Hotel The Terminus Yarrawonga The Victoria Hotel The Wharf Hotel Trinket Village Belle Hotel West Beach Pavilion Yarra Botanica Yarra Valley Grand Hotel Queensland Airlie Beach Hotel Barron River Hotel Beenleigh Tavern Berserker Tavern Birkdale Gardens Tavern Bonny View Hotel Boomerang Hotel Bribie Island Hotel Brighton Hotel Browns Plains Hotel Burleigh Town Hotel Cannon Hill Tavern Capella Hotel Carindale Hotel Chancellors Tavern Cleveland Sands Hotel Cleveland Tavern Club Hotel Waterford Commercial Hotel Commonwealth Hotel Coomera Lodge Hotel Crown Hotel Currimundi Hotel Diamonds Kallangur Diamonds Tavern Varsity Lakes Dunwoody’s Hotel Empire Alternacade & Events Enigma Everton Park Hotel Ferry Road Tavern Finn McCool’s Brisbane Finnigan’s Chin Keperra Fitzy’s Loganholme Fitzy’s Waterford Friday’s Grafton Hotel Edmonton Grand Hotel Motel Hey Chica Hope Island Tavern Hotel Allen Hotel HQ Underwood Inala Hotel Jindalee Hotel Jubilee Tavern Kings Beach Tavern Koala Tavern Kooyong Hotel Lefty’s Music Hall Leichhardt Hotel Lulu Rooftop Bar Mango Hill Tavern Mansfield Tavern Brisbane Mihi Tavern Morayfield Tavern Mount Sheridan Tavern Newnham Hotel Old Bundy Tavern Palm Cove Tavern Port Office Hotel Portadown Hotel Redcliffe Tavern Reef Gateway Hotel Regatta Hotel Retro’s Brisbane Riverland Brisbane Royal Hotel Nundah Royal Mail Hotel Runaway Bay Tavern Salisbury Hotel Sands Tavern Springlake Hotel Sundowner Hotel Motel Surfair Beach Hotel Taigum Tavern The Anthill The Boundary Hotel The Club Hotel Gladstone The Commonwealth Hotel Roma The Kenmore The Local Tavern The Lord Alfred Hotel The Mansfield Townsville The Metropolitan Hotel The Ox The Strand Hotel The White Bull Tavern The Wickham Tom’s Tavern Trinity Beach Tavern Wallaby Hotel Waterloo Hotel Woodpecker Bar & Grill NSW Albion Hotel Beer Deluxe Albury Beer Deluxe T2 BrewDog South Eveleigh Bungalow8 Cargo Henley’s Kitchen & Bar Kingsleys Woolloomooloo Little Pearl Bar North Byron Hotel Salt Bar The Bended Elbow The Rook The Winery Untied South Australia Avenues Café & Bar Brighton Metro Hotel Hampstead Hotel Mick O’Shea’s Hotel Naracoorte Hotel Parkside Hotel Payneham Tavern Robe Hotel The Colonist The Duck The Grand Junction Tavern The Hope Inn The Mile End Hotel The Unley The West End Tavern Victoria Hotel Waterloo Station Hotel Western Tavern