Rianna ManuelIn an astounding and curious act of “patriotism” old mate ScoMo has proposed a $6.7 million circumnavigation of Australia in a replica of Cpt. James Cook’s Endeavour.
In an interview with ABC Radio, Morrison said that it would be a “re-enactment of the voyage.” Here’s the kicker though. James Cook never actually circumnavigated the country. Understandably, people are pretty pissed and confused about the whole thing.
Here’s a map of Captain Cook’s three voyages to Australia. One thing he never did was circumnavigate the country. #auspol #australiaday pic.twitter.com/YP7qAvikbZ
— Member for Higgins (@glengyron) 21 January 2019
I mean first of all, Cooky never actually took that voyage. That honour goes to Matthew Flinders. And secondly, $6.7mil is a whole tonne of money for something literally no one asked for. This whole proposed debacle is to kick off in 2020, marking the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook landing in Australia.
So this circumnavigation, and world’s most expensive cruise, brings the total funding of the “Cooktown 2020” festival to just under $50 million.
I thought we were trying to stop the boats #auspol https://t.co/w1hfwa3Hcd
— Adrianna Connelly (@adriannapc) 22 January 2019
The 14 month trip will feature 39 stops, with local events at each port. Morrison said that the voyage is “the reason Australia is what it is today”. Once again, I’ll remind you. This circumnavigation never happened. I don’t know about you, but I think before committing that much money to something, you should probably give it a quick Google.
To add insult to injury, Morrison said in a statement “As the 250th anniversary nears we want to help Australians better understand Captain Cook’s historic voyage and its legacy for exploration, science and reconciliation. That voyage is the reason Australia is what it is today and it’s important we take the opportunity to reflect on it.”
Sure. Because what better way to help the children understand than by totally changing the facts. Look, it might not even really be his fault. Maybe history just wasn’t that big at Sydney Boys High.
Rewritting history – or as we call it in the colonies, baffling them with bullshit. #Auspol https://t.co/gpvgdbEWTE
— Patriotic Crackdown Fish Rot Deodorant – jansant (@Jansant) 22 January 2019
If you ask me, this whole thing is incredibly tone deaf. It comes at a time when the #ChangeTheDate debate continues over the country. But hey, the pictures will be sick.
