Flags at half-mast on Australia Day: Byron council’s decision
Byron Shire Council is considering moving the Annual Community Awards Ceremony away from January 26, following a dense amount of community feedback.
Byron Shire
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Byron Shire Council will consider flying the national flags at half-mast on Australia Day and Sorry Day.
Any potential move is bound to stir debate, as councils across the land debate the merits of holding their community award ceremonies on January 26.
Byron has long been seen as a progressive council, and has already consulted with the local Indigenous community on the flashpoint flags’ issue.
Stakeholders representing the Byron Aboriginal communities have stressed the need for consistency between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags and the Australian national flag.
This includes that if the Australian national flag is not at half-mast, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags should not be either.
How the national flags are flown is subject to a set of 25 protocols, governed by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Byron council would have to abide by these regulations when determining whether to fly the flags at half-mast.
Meanwhile, the shire will consider changing the date of the Annual Community Awards Ceremony away from Australia Day, as the majority of the community wants it to be moved, according to a survey.
This will be debated at council’s ordinary monthly meeting on Thursday, October 27.
The thought is that an alternative date for the Byron Shire Community Awards may be more inclusive.
Holding the awards on January 26 - Australia Day - has been a growing concern for governments of all levels.
Some of those opposed to January 26 have christened the date as ‘Invasion Day’.
In 2022, a recipient declined to accept one of the Byron community awards out of respect for First Nations people.
The recommendation to be put at Thursday’s meeting outlines that council acknowledges the feedback from the community about replacing the ceremony with a more inclusive event at another time of year.
Councillors will also decide whether to replace the Australia Day Awards with a new program, possibly to be celebrated during Local Government Week starting August 1.
The shire may set up a project reference group - comprising a councillor, former Australia Day Award recipients and two randomly selected survey respondents - to examine the issues.
Several other councils including Merri-Bek (formally known as Moreland City Council) do not hold their award ceremonies on Australia Day.
Concern has grown that despite widespread promotion of the Byron Shire Australia Day events, attendances have been dwindling - and the January 26 date may be at the core of this.
Byron council’s community survey on the matter had feedback from 48 residents, 29 of whom were in favour of a date change.
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