Major Pub Chain Rebrands Australia Day in ‘Long Weekend’ Campaigns

Australian Venue Co is in the spotlight again backflipping on a decision to ban ‘Australia Day’ celebrations last year.

Children wave Australian flags for the arrival of Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla to attend a Sunday morning service at St Thomas' Anglican Church in Sydney, Australia on Oct. 20, 2024. Dean Lewins/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

A major pub chain that backflipped on a decision to ban Australia Day celebrations at its 200 venues last year, is again in the spotlight for choosing not to mention the official date in upcoming promotions.

Australian Venue Co, whose parent company is based in Hong Kong, announced last year it would not celebrate the national holiday because of the potential “hurt” and “sadness” it could cause Indigenous Australians.

The company changed the decision just days later due to public pressure.

Now, with the impending date fast approaching, Jan. 26, which includes a public holiday in lieu on the 27th, the pub group has run campaigns for the “long weekend” with no mention of Australia Day.

The national celebration commemorates the date of the landing of the “First Fleet” to Australia from the United Kingdom in 1788, and marks the official beginning of colonisation of the continent.

Australian Venue Co’s head office is located in Melbourne CBD near the progressive area of St. Kilda.

Multiple Venues Avoid Mentioning ‘Australia Day’

At the central Queensland city of Bundaberg, the historic Old Bundy Tavern, which is owned by the group, is promoting its “Long Weekend Club” from Jan. 24 to 26, featuring a pool competition with complimentary pies and sausage rolls.

Other Queensland venues like the Beenleigh Tavern and Mackay’s Beenleigh Hotel are promoting a “Summer Long Weekend” and “Long Weekend Party” respectively.

Victoria’s Fargo and Co is calling the upcoming celebration a “Jan Long Weekend,” while the Telegraph Hotel in Hobart is referring to it as the “January Long Weekend.”

None of the promotional posters for “long weekend” events observed by The Epoch Times shows any Australian iconography.

Instead, they featured generic illustrations of items like guitars, pool tables, or flowers.

Other venues do not appear to have listed any events for Jan. 26.

Most Favour Australia Day

Indigenous MP Jacinta Price told media it was “hypocritical” for the company to advertise events to increase customer numbers if they refused to acknowledge Australia Day.

Academic and Indigenous commentator Anthony Dillon previously told The Epoch Times that Australians should resist the urge to cave to cancel culture and should celebrate the national day without shame.

“It’s not disrespecting Aboriginal people in any way,” he said.

A Roy Morgan survey conducted last year found a majority of Australians agreed with Australia Day being held on Jan. 26, a similar result was recorded last year.

Sixty-four percent of Australians were shown to be in favour of the holiday.

The Australian Venue Co was contacted for comment.