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Australia Day celebrations axed by third Melbourne council Third Melbourne council's vote to ditch Australia Day criticised as 'divisive'
(about 1 hour later)
A third Melbourne council will dump official Australia Day celebrations, with one councillor calling the day “grossly insensitive”. The federal government is considering whether to strip a third Melbourne council of its right to host citizenship ceremonies after it voted to dump Australia Day.
But Moreland city council will continue to hold citizenship ceremonies on the date to avoid losing its right to host them altogether. Moreland City Council voted on Wednesday night to drop all references to 26 January as Australia Day out of respect for Indigenous people but it stopped short of cancelling its official Australia Day citizenship ceremony.
The inner-north Melbourne council voted in favour of dropping all references to Australia Day and to join the push to change the date on Wednesday night. One councillor said hosting ceremonies and events on that date was “grossly insensitive” to aboriginal people. “It would be like celebrating the Nazi holocaust,” Socialist Alliance councillor Sue Bolton told the meeting on Wednesday.
Socialist Alliance councillor Sue Bolton said hosting ceremonies and events on 26 January was “grossly insensitive” to Indigenous people. “It would be like celebrating the Nazi Holocaust,” Bolton said in the meeting on Wednesday. Alex Hawke, the federal assistant immigration minister, criticised Moreland’s “divisive” decision. “The Turnbull government strongly condemns comparisons of Australia Day with the Nazi Holocaust as deeply offensive to all Australians,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
Another councillor, John Kavanagh, did not support the move and said it was a decision for the federal government to make. “Already we have stripped councils of the right to administer citizenship where they have violated the Australian citizenship ceremonies code.
West Australia senator Rachel Siewert praised the move and called for Australia Day’s date to be changed “so it is a day for all”. She added: “I have no doubt that the federal government will now exercise incredible overreach and try and intimidate the city of Moreland out of this decision. Instead of being the big bully, the Turnbull government should reflect on why local councils are taking this step.” “The government will consider [the] Moreland motion, and the nature of the public debate and consider further action as appropriate.”
The federal government last month stripped Yarra and Darebin councils of their right to host citizenship ceremonies after successful votes to shift them to another day. The Turnbull government last month stripped Yarra and Darebin councils of their right to host citizenship ceremonies after councillors voted to shift them away from 26 January. In 2015, Moreland moved its annual citizen awards ceremony to October.
The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, last month described Yarra city council’s decision to change the way it commemorates the day was “utterly out of step” with Australian values. The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, last month described Yarra city council’s decision to change the way it commemorates the day was “utterly out of step” with Australian values. “On Australia Day, we recognise the greatness of our achievement as Australians,” Turnbull said in parliament. “To change the date would be to turn our back on Australian values.”
“On Australia Day, we recognise the greatness of our achievement as Australians,” Turnbull said in parliament. “To change the date would be to turn our back on Australian values.” The Australian citizenship ceremonies code says events “must not be used as forums for political, partisan or religious expression”.
Moreland in 2015 moved its annual citizen awards ceremony to October. The Australia citizenship ceremonies code says local councils should hold ceremonies every two to three months and notes that Australia Day – along with Australian Citizenship Day on September 17 – are “significant days” in the calendar when “local governments and community organisations can play an important role” in raising awareness of citizenship. Moreland’s decision to dump the date wasn’t unanimous, with councillors John Kavanagh and Oscar Yildiz speaking out against the move. “For us to reject this day, really means rejecting our own ancestry and customs,” Yildiz told 3AW on Thursday. “I think this is a whole bunch of councillors making a political statement.”
The Greens warned the Turnbull government against intimidating the council over its latest decision. Greens senator Rachel Siewert said: “I have no doubt that the federal government will now exercise incredible overreach and try and intimidate the city of Moreland out of this decision.”
“Instead of being the big bully, the Turnbull government should reflect on why local councils are taking this step.”