Wahesh
The Forefather of The Kennel
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Woolworths ditches all Australia Day merch
Woolworths is facing the wrath of customers keen on celebrating Australia Day after announcing it would axe merchandise for the celebration, as Coles weighs in on the controversial decision.
The supermarket chain confirmed no additional Australia Day-themed merch would be sold in its supermarkets or Big W stores for this year’s public holiday.
They cited a “gradual decline” in demand for the merchandise over the years and “broader discussion” about the January 26 date and “what it means” to different parts of the community.
“In terms of their bottom line, I’m sure they can handle... selling some great Aussie merchandise,” he said.
He was backed up by the shadow minister for education Senator Sarah Henderson, who said the decision was “not good enough”.
“If gouging customers on fruit and vegetable prices is not enough, Woolworths is now withdrawing from sale Australia Day merchandise,” she tweeted.
“Australia Day is a day for celebrating our freedoms, our values, and our unique Australian way of life.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked about the controversial decision, but said his main focus was on “making sure that supermarkets do the right thing by their customers at the checkout”.
“What I’d say to Australians is that Australia Day is a day in which you should buy Australian - buy some of that wonderful lamb... it’s a day in which we can give respect to First Nations people and acknowledge that it’s a difficult day for them, but it’s also a day in which we can reflect on what it means to be an Australian and how we can make the greatest country on Earth even better in the future,” he said.
The decision by Woolworths follows a campaign in recent years to change the January 26 date of Australia Day, which commemorates the First Fleet raising the British flag in Sydney.
Indigenous groups often refer to January 26 as Invasion Day, signifying their belief that the arrival of colonisation on Australian shores also accompanied the deaths and oppression of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
University of Newcastle historian Professor Lyndall Ryan estimates that more than 10,000 Indigenous lives were lost in more than 400 massacres by settlers and British forces, with thousands more dying from diseases introduced by the new arrivals.
Conservative commentators lined up to criticise Woolworths over its decision, with Prue MacSween calling for a boycott of the brand.
“It’s time to voice our opinion of woke corporates who are offending us. Hitting them at the cash register is the best way to do it,” she said.
“They haven’t got a conscience when they rip primary producers and Aussie suppliers off and of course us at the cash register.”
