Anthony Albanese speech LIVE updates: PM addresses National Press Club as federal election looms

Australians have strongly backed January 26 as the national day after years of argument about changing the date, lifting support to a clear majority amid calls to enshrine the date in federal law.

Support for January 26 has leapt from 47 to 61 per cent over the past two years despite objections from Indigenous Australians about celebrating the nation’s history on the anniversary of white settlement.

The findings are likely to come up during questions after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s speech this afternoon.

An exclusive survey also shows that 52 per cent of voters back the idea of passing a federal law to make January 26 the official day, a key proposal from Dutton before the federal election.

The findings mark a shift in sentiment across the electorate after the defeat of the Indigenous Voice at the October 2023 referendum, showing that support for January 26 increased over the period when support for the Voice declined.

While 39 per cent of voters wanted to change the date when asked in January 2023 – a point when the federal government believed there was strong momentum for the Voice – this slipped to 33 per cent in January 2024.

The latest survey, conducted for this masthead by research company Resolve Strategic, shows 24 per cent wanted to change the date when asked over the past week.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton this morning welcomed the results claiming they were “a fantastic result” while Education Minister Jason Clare accused the Liberal leader of stoking a “fake fight”.

Read the full story here.