Ken Zulumovski, who has both First Nations and Macedonian heritage, says the date for Australia Day could stay the same but only after “truth telling” has taken place.
“First Nations people have been calling for one thing and one thing only since the beginning and that’s truth telling,” he said.
We wouldn’t mind celebrating a day if that day included the history and the truth and the stories, you know, of the First Nations people.
Ken Zulumovski
Some prominentadvocating for a change to the date of Australia Day.
Ngurra Murray, a Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung and Dhudhuroa woman who is the Co-Chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly in Victoria is one of the leaders supporting the petition.
“To change the date is to acknowledge the strength and resilience of our people, who have survived centuries of attempts to erase our culture,” she said.
Zulumovski, 50, hails from troubled beginnings, growing up in public housing and dealing with addiction, school expulsion, anxiety and domestic violence.
Today, he is an honorary doctor of medical sciences, a recipient of an Australian Defence Force Medal and founder of the not-for-profit community support group, Gamarada, in Sydney.
Through Gamarada, he helps Indigenous people avoid spiralling down the path of addiction and dysfunction he took when he was young.
Zulumovski, whose Aboriginal name is Kira-Dhan, is also a founder of the consulting firm, Guir, which provides individual reconciliation plans for the private, state and not-for-profit sectors.
In 2012, he chaired the NSW First Aboriginal Reconciliation Forum and was a member of the NSW Mental Health Committee Indigenous Leaders Forum.
Ken Zulumovski (first left) helps corporate leaders in the private, state and not-for-profit sectors set up reconciliation action plans. Credit: Ken Zulumovski
He says the way to satisfy everyone was to introduce the topic in a mature way, perhaps similar to former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s formal apology to the Stolen Generations in 2008.
“The whole nation stopped and thought and reflected and felt acknowledged,” he said.
“We all want to be proud of the place we live (in) and there are many things to be proud of in this country today.”
However, he said he thought Australian society was “going backwards” as evidenced by the failed Voice to Parliament referendum in October 2023.
“The failure of the referendum wasn’t so much a failure of the Australian citizens because … Australians are very inclusive people and fair people. And, you know, we have our national values, you know, mateship, helping each other out, helping your neighbour out,” he said.
“The average Aussie is just so distracted and already stressed, and so they don’t have time to properly educate themselves on the facts and properly inform themselves, so they are subject to media and in this case, media that is controlled by … certain elements of our society,” he said.
“They have ability to guide, misguide and invest a lot of money into what kind of news Australia actually hears.”
‘It’s a celebration of modern Australia’
Dennis Loether, an environmental and planning lawyer, believes that the date of Australia Day should remain unchanged.
“I personally oppose (a) change to the date. I think whilst there is some sensitivity around it, it is acknowledged by the Australian community that things have occurred in the past and the treatment of the Indigenous population has not always been the way it should be,” he said.
“We‘ve had recognition of that in Parliament, a recognition at all levels of government. I don’t personally believe we should be changing the date. It’s a celebration of modern Australia and it should remain the way it is.”
He said Australia Day represented national pride, unity and an opportunity to celebrate Australian history, diverse cultures and achievements.
Dennis Loether with the Maso Cup trophy. The soccer tournament is held very Australia Day weekend. Credit: Dennis Loether
He is president of a multicultural, diverse community soccer club in Sydney — Rockdale Ilinden FC — which hosts a friendly tournament (Maso Cup 2025) every year over the Australia Day long weekend.
The tournament brings together dozens of teams from across Australia.
“First of all, I am a proud Australian of mixed (German-Macedonian) heritage. My parents came to Australia to look for a better life, settled here and realised what a beautiful country it was,” he said.
“We think (the tournament is) a great way to bring a proud community together.
“We have participating teams from all over the country and (for it) to be on (the) Australia Day long weekend is fitting because I think what Australia Day represents is, in my view, anyway, is just a recognition of the diversity Australia has, it’s a special day.
“I know it’s sensitive for some people, but we shouldn’t retract and look at the negative, but rather (be) positive.”
He said 26 January should be about sitting back and saying “we are proud to be Australian”.
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