Nic Naitanui throws his support behind changing the date of Australia Day with a heartfelt message

An AFL superstar has weighed in on the Australia Day debate with a message of unity and respect for the country’s history. 

West Coast Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui – who is of Fijian heritage – took to Twitter on Thursday to share a lengthy post on his feelings around January 26.

‘Not everyone’s gonna agree with me but ah well. At the end of the day unity is so much more fun, division is boring as s***,’ he wrote above his message. 

He posted the message (pictured) knowing not everyone would agree with him but all he wanted was to see the country unified and Indigenous Australian culture honoured 

‘If a simple change of date helps to appease tension, unify Australians and collectively allow us to celebrate this amazing country I’m all for it,’ he said.  

‘Although 1788 marks a dark period for Indigenous Australians, acknowledgement and not shying away from historical events for educational/progression purposes is important. 

‘I’d love the WA population to lead the way in this space and find an appropriate date.

‘We celebrate other holidays on the calendar differently to the east coast so why not this one?’ 

He finished his message by saying he was fed up with the constant debate surrounding January 26. 

‘To be honest it’s tiring seeing the protesting, these debates and the hate in people’s hearts this period every year.’ 

Naitanui’s followers commended the star for making his stance on Australia Day public.  

The West Coast eagles ruckman received positive feedback for his post however some said they didn’t think changing the date would ‘appease’ the situation

‘The simplest way to look at it is; I don’t care about keeping the date more than others do about changing it. Good on you for leading, mate,’ one user wrote. 

‘Good for you Nic! I want to be able to celebrate our wonderful country on a day that does not cause pain to others,’ another added. 

‘The hope of a harmonious, inclusive celebration, however, is something I hold very dear.’

Naitanui set up a poll asking people if the date should be changed.

It was split almost down the middle at 50.5 Yes and 49.5 No. 

‘Nah it will make no difference mate, we could change the date and everything will be exactly the same,’ one user replied. 

‘No matter what the date someone will be unhappy or offended leave it alone,’ another wrote.

‘As you say not everyone will agree with changing the date. I respect your views as long as you respect those who don’t agree with changing the date too,’ a third added. 

The post came on the same day Labor leader Anthony Albanese (pictured) said he supported keeping Australia Day on January 26 and wanted more education on Indigenous culture

The post came on the same day Labor leader Anthony Albanese said Australia Day should remain on January 26. 

While the opposition leader said he acknowledged the ‘devastating impact’ colonisation had on Indigenous Australians he supported the date staying the same.   

‘I think that we do need to recognise that Australia Day for Indigenous Australians is a difficult day,’ he told 2GB Radio.  

‘One of the things we need to do is seek ways to unite Australia, rather than engage in culture wars. It’s really counterproductive.’ 

He said Australia Day also provided the opportunity to educate people about the ‘dispossession and the consequences of’ the First Fleet. 

‘And it’s given a focus on that day,. We need to recognise that Australian history didn’t begin when the First Fleet arrived. It goes back,’ he said. 

‘And we should be proud of the fact that we have the oldest continuous civilisation on the planet.’

Naitanui (pictured) finished his message by saying the constant vitriol and division created around Australia day had become ‘tiring’