I would nominate October 24 th as Australia Day . Why ? Because it ' s the day in 1889 on which Henry Parkes delivered the Tenterfield Oration , which is widely seen by historians as the catalyst for Federation , a decade or so later . The Tenterfield Oration was a speech given by Sir Henry Parkes , Premier of the Colony of New South Wales at the Tenterfield School of Arts in rural New South Wales , Australia on 24 October 1889 . In the Oration Parkes called for the Federation of the six Australian colonies , which were at the time selfgoverned but under the distant central authority of the British Colonial Secretary . It is significant because it is allegorically considered to be the start of the federation movement in Australia , that lead to the foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia 12 years later . Source points for being in Spring and in the second half of the year , where we currently have fewer public holidays .