Australia Day parties will be banned from hundreds of pubs next month after a major hospitality group announced it will not be marking the national day.
Australian Venue Co, which owns about 200 pubs and bars across the country, said today it was axing celebrations because the day causes “sadness” and “hurt” for many patrons and staff.
The impact of the ban will be especially felt in Queensland where the company owns about 90 venues, including the Wickham Hotel, Regatta Hotel and The Boundary Hotel in Brisbane.
It also has many popular drinking holes in Sydney, such as Untied, Cargo Bar, and Bungalow8.
In Melbourne, regulars at the Esplanade Hotel and The Duke of Wellington, owned by Australian Venue Co, may have to look elsewhere if they want to enjoy celebrations.
Adelaide pubs impacted include The Unley Hotel, The Colonist and The Naracoorte Hotel.
“Australia Day is a day that causes sadness for some members of our community, so we have decided not to specifically celebrate a day that causes hurt for some of our patrons and our team,” said an Australia Venues Co spokesperson.
The company is the just the latest major business to sever links with Australia Day.
At the start of this year, Woolworths and Aldi decided not to stock Australia Day merchandise in its stores ahead of the January 26 public holiday.
In the wake of the decision, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton suggested shoppers should “boycott Woolworths” over the move.
Multiple local councils have also dropped Australia Day events as attitudes shift on holding commemorations on January 26.
