First it was ‘sensitivities’ about Australia Day – and now, after a huge storm of criticism, Anthony Albanese’s handpicked ambassador to the UK has a NEW reason for ditching popular Aus Day gala dinner in London

Australia’s top diplomat to the UK has pulled out of the annual Australia Day gala event after it was decided “taxpayers should no longer bear the cost” of such an event, the government now says.

The gala, which is usually held on January 26 each year in London, is estimated to cost $55,000 this year if it goes ahead, a spokesman for High Commissioner Stephen Smith told The Washington News Australia on Wednesday.

This is the second reason given by the department within 24 hours since the decision was announced.

Initially, “sensitivities” around Australia Day and the date were cited as a factor in the decision.

But on Wednesday a spokesman said: “Support for the gala dinner has cost the Australian High Commission in the past.”

“The High Commission has decided that Australian taxpayers should no longer bear these costs.”

The gala, which is usually held on January 26 each year in London, is estimated to cost $55,000 this year if it goes ahead, a spokesman for High Commissioner Stephen Smith (pictured at 10 Downing Street) told the Daily. Australia Post

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (pictured with his wife) called on Smith to apologize for his apparent Australia Day snub.

But a spokesman for Mr Smith, the country’s former foreign and defense minister, said the event had not been “canceled” but simply that the Australia Foundation had decided not to hold the gala dinner.

“The Government believes Australia Day should continue to be celebrated on 26 January.

“The High Commission has already planned and will host an appropriate Australia Day event at Australia House, as do embassies and consulates around the world.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called on Smith to apologize for his apparent Australia Day snub.

In a televised address broadcast on Tuesday, the opposition leader called the decision to move the date “crazy” and “completely unacceptable.”

“How can we have a High Commissioner who is ashamed of Australia Day?” Australia Day is a celebration of our history and our heritage,” Mr Dutton said.

“I think the vast majority of Australians will celebrate Australia Day and I think the High Commissioner in London, if he is not prepared to celebrate Australia Day, if he is ashamed of Australia Day, then frankly I think he should look new job. .’

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called the decision to move the date “crazy” and “totally unacceptable” and called on Smith to publicly retract his decision.

Kylie Minogue attends the Australia Day Gala Dinner at Australia House in London on January 24, 2015. The event has now been canceled by High Commissioner Stephen Smith.

The date 26 January, which commemorates the landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788, is considered a day of mourning for Indigenous people, with some calling it Invasion Day or Survival Day.

A 2022 YouGov poll of more than 2000 people found 56 per cent of people favor keeping the date of Australia Day as is. However, almost half of people under 35 supported changing the date.

Opposition Indigenous affairs spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price told 2GB earlier this week that Mr Smith’s decision to reschedule the event was “not Australian”.

“I think it is a humiliation to end any Australia Day celebrations. I think we need to get back to being proud of what it means to be Australian,” she said.

The Coalition’s criticism of the gala’s postponement comes as party leaders discuss how the country should move forward with its efforts to achieve reconciliation among Indigenous people in the wake of the failed Vote referendum.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the October 14 defeat, Voice architect and prominent Voice campaigner Professor Megan Davis told AFR. that the grassroots Indigenous rights movement will continue to advocate, despite some Aboriginal communities believing the possibility of reconciliation is “dead.”

Former Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt also weighed in earlier this week, telling the Sydney Morning Herald that despite rejecting the constitutional vote, the prospect of closing the gap should be approached in a “pragmatic” way.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney’s priorities for 2024 will focus on issues identified by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including health, education, jobs, housing and justice.

The Government has yet to confirm how it plans to implement other parts of the Uluru Statement, including the Treaty and the Truth.

It has already committed $5.8 million to “begin work on establishing an independent Makarrata Commission to oversee agreement-making and truth-seeking processes.”

A spokeswoman for Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney said the minister’s priorities for 2024 would focus on issues identified by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including health, education, jobs, housing and justice.

This includes new funding for reinvesting in the justice system to reduce incarceration rates, investing in basic services in remote areas and replacing the “failed” remote employment and community development services program.