Pike's plan to lock in 26 January lapsed without a vote
Henry Pike MP wanted federal law to name 26 January as the national day. Any change of date would have needed a national vote. The bill was dropped from Parliament's to-do list in March 2026.
Official name: Australia Day Bill 2025
- The bill would have made 26 January the official national day in federal law.
- The date could only change if voters across Australia chose a new date in a national vote.
- Any such vote would have had to include 26 January as one of the choices.
- It was dropped from the House's to-do list on 31 March 2026 without a vote.
Who it affects
- All Australians: Australia Day would have been named in federal law as the national day on 26 January.
- Voters: Only most voters in a national vote could have changed the date.
- Future governments and Parliaments: They could not have moved or scrapped Australia Day without first holding that vote.
26 January never officially named
Australia Day is a public holiday on 26 January in every state and territory. The bill came with notes that explain it. They say no federal law has ever named it as the national day.
The date marks when the First Fleet arrived at Port Jackson in New South Wales in 1788. The First Fleet was the first group of British ships to bring convicts and settlers. Port Jackson is Sydney Harbour. The notes say people have marked 26 January since 1808. New South Wales made it an official public holiday in 1818.
The bill aimed to put Australia Day into federal law as the national day. The MP who brought it says this would stop a government scrapping it on its own.
Who brought the bill
This was a private bill. That means the government did not bring it. Henry Pike MP brought it into the House of Representatives on 1 September 2025. That is the house of Parliament where the government sits. The source papers do not say which party he is in.
Naming the national day
The bill said the national day of Australia is to be called Australia Day. It said the day is held on 26 January each year.
The notes say this copies the way a 1983 law sets up Anzac Day as a national day. Anzac Day remembers Australians who served in wars.
How the date could change
Under the bill, 26 January would stay Australia Day unless a national vote chose a new date. This kind of vote is called a plebiscite.
The new date or dates would be put to voters in every state and territory. 26 January would be on the list too. More than half of everyone who voted would have to pick a new date.
Anyone allowed to vote for the House of Representatives could vote in it. That includes people in territories that elect members to the House.
Parliament would decide how the vote is run. That covers how the question is asked and how votes are counted. It also covers how a new date would come in. With three or more dates on offer, Parliament could ask people to number the choices in order.
The notes say this follows the Flags Act 1953. That law sets out how the design of the national flag could be changed.
Say a future government wanted to move Australia Day to another date. Under this bill it would first have to hold a national vote. 26 January would be one of the choices.
Cost and start date
The notes say the bill would cost nothing. They do not give a cost for a future national vote.
The bill would have started on the day it became law. A bill becomes law when the Governor-General signs it. The Governor-General is the King's representative in Australia.
Dropped after time ran out
Mr Pike brought in the bill on 1 September 2025. He gave his main speech for it that day. That started the vote on the main idea of the bill.
The bill was not debated again. On 31 March 2026 it was dropped from Parliament's to-do list. A House rule clears out private bills that sit untouched for a set time.
That means the bill will not become law unless someone brings it back.
Its journey through Parliament
| 01 Sep 2025 | House of Representatives: Introduced and read a first time |
| 01 Sep 2025 | House of Representatives: Second reading moved |
| 31 Mar 2026 | House of Representatives: Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42) |