‘It is not for us to tell anyone whether or how to celebrate Australia Day. We acknowledge that and we apologise for our comments,’ read the grovelling press release from Australian Venue Co.

This is what winning looks like!

Less than 24 hours earlier, the foreign-owned, (anti-) Australian Venue Co. hospitality group announced it would be banning Australia Day celebrations at its more than 200 pubs across the nation on 26 January. The reason for the ban, according to the group, was that, ‘Australia Day is a day that causes sadness for some members of our community’.

The humiliating backdown was the direct and immediate result of mainstream Australians who made their voices heard. The campaign against Australian Venue Co. had only just begun, and it was apparent it would grow over the coming weeks. Calls for a boycott had already started, and even if only a small percentage of patrons went along with it, the bottom line of those pubs would have taken a sizeable hit given the often thin profit margins in the sector.

This backdown is the sequel to what happened to Woolworths earlier this year, when it announced that it would not stock Australia Day-themed merchandise because ‘there’s been broader discussion about January 26 and what it means to different parts of the community’. This prompted calls from many, including opposition leader Peter Dutton, to boycott Australia’s largest grocery retailer, because, as Dutton said, ‘to start taking political positions to oppose Australia Day is against the national interest, [and] the national spirit’.

The saga ultimately led to the early resignation of Woolworths chief executive, Brad Banducci. What was so informative about this episode was that prior to that point Banducci had proved to be an effective CEO. Banducci delivered strong commercial results for Woolworths, including growing its market share against main rival Coles, and largely seeing off the new disrupter in Aldi. But Banducci’s error was that, in refusing to support Australia Day, he shredded Woolworths cultural licence to operate in our community. This was especially so given, and not entirely unlike Qantas, Woolies is viewed as an identifiably Australian company, and trades off this perception to its commercial advantage.

The resignation of Banducci was noted in boardrooms across Australia, and Paul Waterson, CEO of Australian Venue Co., appears to have taken note. The board members and senior management of many other big corporates no doubt have been forced to think twice before they weigh in on Australia Day or seek to denigrate mainstream Australian values.

Sure, forcing a hospitality corporate, albeit Australia’s second-largest, to back down will not in and of itself stop the attacks by the elites on Australia Day. But it is important to remember that this kind of backdown would have been unthinkable prior to the defeat of the divisive Voice to parliament on 14 October, 2023. Over 60 per cent of Australians, with a majority across every state and territory (other than the home of the elite bureaucracy, the ACT) voted No. It was an emphatic and long-overdue display that, in fact, there are far more mainstream Australians out there than there are inner-city activists. The win emboldened these Australians and has gone a long way to removing the fear and self-doubt they have had previously in speaking out on important cultural issues.

Critically, the defeat of the Voice was not a left/right political issue and this is key to its enduring influence. At the referendum, Australians of different backgrounds, religious views, and political affiliation voted No. Close to 40 per cent of those who voted for Labor at the 2022 federal election voted No to the Voice, as did 55 per cent of men aged 18 to 24, and 70 per cent of those whose highest level of education attainment was non-university tertiary education such as Tafe.

It also demonstrates loudly to the Coalition that fighting culture wars is popular and effective. It is clear the community wants their political standard-bearers to stand up for their values against the constant onslaught by the elites, including those at the commanding heights of corporate Australia.

Does anyone seriously believe that Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s popularity decreased because of her defence of racial equality in our constitution? Besides, it is not mainstream Australians who are starting the culture wars. We were perfectly happy with the way our country was before the elites and the activist class started their widespread institutional takeover. The blame for the division in our society lays right at their feet.

This latest victory against woke corporates in the culture wars comes hot on the heels of the defeat of the federal government’s proposed misinformation and disinformation (i.e. censorship) laws. These laws were so unpopular the federal government did not even bother debating the legislation in the Senate, as it was dead on arrival. That every single crossbencher, from Senator Ralph Babet of the United Australia Party to Senator Jacqui Lambie and Senator Lidia Thorpe said they would vote down the laws illustrates how deeply deficient they were.

Of course, we should expect this debate to return should Labor be re-elected in a majority or minority government, and the fight for free speech is an enduring one. But as little as two months ago, it appeared a fate accompli that draconian censorship of the opinions of mainstream Australians online would go ahead.

Mainstream Australians, who for too long have been the silent majority, have started to find their voice. It is clear they have had a gutful of the elites, who hide out in the big corporates, legacy media, universities, sporting codes and major civic organisations, demeaning and diminishing our shared values and our national day.

They understand that Australia Day is more than just wearing bucket hats and thongs and having a BBQ. It is the day we come together to celebrate and remember everything we have achieved in this nation. Our democracy, freedoms, rule of law, tolerance, and fair-go spirit – which are underpinned by a prosperity generated by ingenuity and a bounty of natural resources – have created the greatest nation on earth. It is our role to make sure we pass down these values and institutions to the next generation which means, as an obvious starting point, celebrating Australia Day on the 26th of January.