Geelong council agenda details Australia Day changes

It will almost certainly be standing room only at City Hall on Tuesday night, with Geelong’s 11 councillors again, as expected, set to debate the merits of celebrating Australia Day – two days after the actual event occurred.

Opponents of Geelong council’s push to reinstate Australia Day celebrations are expected to again attend Tuesday night’s meeting.

Another heated debate is expected at the first Geelong council meeting of the year on Tuesday night when City Hall’s approach to Australia Day once again takes centre stage.

Supporters of both sides of the argument are expected to pack the public gallery, with the report requested by council in December heading the agenda, as expected.

It would be a major surprise if any councillors changed their stance on the matter after Eddy Kontelj's December motion to commence the process of again recognising and celebrating Australia Day passed seven votes to four.

Eddy Kontelj introduced the controversial January 26 motion at council’s December meeting. Picture: Supplied.

Of the 11-member council, Emma Sinclair, Anthony Aitken, Elise Wilkinson and Melissa Cadwell opposed the move.

Ms Wilkinson spoke at the Be Tru 2 Uluru group’s “Cry for Truth and Justice” rally on Sunday.

Council will specifically vote on whether it wants to recommence referring to January 26 as Australia Day in all of its communications and confirm its commitment to commemorating the day, including citizenship ceremonies returning and the hosting of community events.

Additionally, a vote in the affirmative would see council cease any advocacy efforts directed at the federal government to change the date.

However, because rules dictate that council must “resolve to revoke” previous policies, it is expected that aspects of the Australia Day changes will need to come before council again.

“As council already has a resolution in place not to hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26, council will need a new resolution to revoke the previous policy,” the agenda explains.

In May 2023, council resolved to shift citizenship ceremonies away from Australia Day and instead deliver formalised First Nations events.

Those events never eventuated because the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation was unable to commit to participating in an additional truth-telling event beyond Pilk Purriyn that has been held in Torquay for the past three years.

The unanimous 2023 council vote was based on 957 survey responses, including 447 from First Nations People, that were received during a six-month “community conversation”.

Federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton recently said a Coalition government would force all councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.

Originally published as Geelong council agenda details Australia Day changes