Australia Day: Two NSW councils move to change date from January 26
TWO NSW councils are prepared to side with the Greens by considering changing the date of Australia Day from January 26.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TWO NSW councils are prepared to side with the Greens by considering changing the date of Australia Day from January 26.
While most councils overwhelmingly rejected the controversial proposal yesterday, Ryde Council and Port Stephens Council signalled they were willing to discuss the radical move before next year’s celebrations.
“I’m very conscious of the current national conversation around the date of Australia Day,” Port Stephens Council general manager Wayne Wallis said.
“We naturally review our Australia Day events each year and this issue is certainly something worth discussing with our Aboriginal Strategic Committee and community.
“It is important that we listen carefully to the issues that affect them. Going forward, the conduct of Australia Day events will be a matter for our new Council to consider.”
• MARK LATHAM: Hands off Australia Day
• Barnaby Joyce criticises Greens’ plan to change Australia Day date
• Opinion: Changing Australia Day date won’t change history
Ryde deputy mayor and Greens member Christopher Gordon also said this year’s events would go ahead but the matter would be taken before council in coming months.
“Three to six months from now I will discuss it with my colleagues but (changing the date of Australia Day) it is certainly something I am in favour of,” he said.
“It has become uncomfortable and it is no longer a clear date we can all celebrate. There is real legitimacy of indigenous people seeing it as invasion day.”
But elsewhere councils expressed support for keeping the holiday and continuing to conduct events and citizenship ceremonies on January 26.
OPINION: Australia Day should be moved to another date so we can all celebrate
Even grassroots Greens councillors had no appetite to join the campaign by party leader Richard Di Natale who criticised Australia Day as a day marking “an ongoing genocide”.
Kiama deputy mayor and Greens member Kathy Rice said celebrations would continue in her area and confirmed there were no plans to can ceremonies on January 26 in coming years.
“I am sympathetic to the views of all involved and would like to see a mutually acceptable solution in the future but there are no plans to change anything,” she said.
The Greens-run Byron Bay Shire also refused to boycott Australia Day.
Mr Turnbull said there was no reason couldn’t “recognise all the complexities and challenges of our history” while also celebrating “our achievements”.
“A free country debates it’s history. It does not deny it, he said. “It builds new monuments as it preserves old ones, writes new books not burn old ones. Australia Day is a day to come together and celebrate what unites us, inspires us, what gives all of us reason to be proud that we are Australian.”
Lockdown as the city gets set to party
SECURITY is being stepped up ahead of Australia Day celebrations, with police employing the “Fortress Sydney” measures seen across the city during the festive and New Year period.
Vehicular terrorist attacks are at the forefront of concern.
Road blocks, bollards and even semi-trailers were parked across the CBD to secure streets last month.
And with millions of Aussies set to take to the streets on January 26, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Karen Webb assured the public their safety was paramount.
IN PICTURES: Australia Day 2017
She stressed that while there was no “new intelligence” on any planned Australia Day attack, tight security measures would be in place on land, at sea and in the sky to thwart any danger.
“Vehicle mitigation is just one of (the measures),” Ms Webb said. “High-visibility policing is our main strategy (but) there will be other resources on the ground.”
This year’s fireworks have been moved from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay, prompting police to review risks to public safety.
“We’re just risk assessing the movement like we would any other event … We really encourage everyone to go about their business but if they see something, they need to report it,” Ms Webb said.
“I imagine (as) it’s a Friday and there’s great weather, we’ll have big crowds.”
— Nick Hansen