Moreland Council is set to dump Australia Day, survey reveals
A SURVEY of Moreland councillors shows it is likely the inner northern suburban council will dump our national day when they consider the matter tonight, but it might be decided by a single vote.
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A SURVEY of Moreland councillors suggests they are set to dump Australia Day at tonight’s meeting.
The Leader News survey conducted yesterday and today suggests a narrow win for the move to drop the national day.
They will vote on a motion that seeks to retain citizenship ceremonies on January 26, but even that concession could be changed at tonight’s meeting.
The council is following in the footsteps of Yarra and Darebin councils, which have both turned their backs on the national day of celebration.
The Federal Government barred both inner north councils from holding citizenship ceremonies after they voted to drop the events from their January 26 schedules.
A motion put forward by Greens councillor and Deputy Mayor Samantha Ratnam would see the council no longer refer to the public holiday as “Australia Day” but only as “January 26”.
It would also see the council join a national campaign to change the date of Australia Day and create awareness in the community about the campaign and the historical significance of January 26 to Australia’s indigenous community.
In June Cr Ratnam’s bid to move citizenship ceremonies from Australia Day was defeated 6-5.
Bid to move Australia Day citizenship ceremonies defeated at Moreland Council
Darebin council votes to dump Australia Day, loses right to hold citizenship ceremonies
Her motion at tonight’s meeting avoids that scenario but could backfire as at least one councillor has spoken of plans to “strengthen” it with an amendment that would have the ceremonies moved to another date.
Socialist Alliance councillor Sue Bolton said she would vote to support the #changethedate campaign but said she was also considering moving an amendment to include pulling the citizenship ceremony from January 26.
“Keeping the ceremony on the 26th counteracts the motion,” Cr Bolton said.
Cr Bolton said the Federal Government, by stripping municipalities of their citizenship ceremonies, was “playing politics” and she accused Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of overstepping his rights.
Cr Bolton said she was willing to risk losing citizenship ceremonies altogether to stand up to a “bullying Federal Government”.
Greens councillors Natalie Abboud and Mark Riley said they supported changing the date.
Cr Riley said it was a way of supporting indigenous Australians.
“They’ve been asking for a change of date for years.
“Some of our whitefellas are catching up but reconciliation is a long road and there are many aspects to that history”.
Cr Riley said Australians should celebrate a national day when it was least offensive to all.
The South Ward councillor voted to move citizenship ceremonies from January 26 in June, but said it was not on his “radar” for tonight’s vote.
But independent councillors Ali Irfanli and Mayor Helen Davidson said they would vote against the motion.
Cr Irfanli said the council had more important local matters to deal with.
“I’ll be voting no, because I made a promise to residents in the lead-up to elections, I won’t be getting the council involved in federal matters.
“We’ve got far more important local matters to deal with,” Cr Irfanli said.
Cr Irfanli said he was empathetic towards Aboriginals but the Australia Day debate needed to be a national conversation, not one for the council chamber.
Cr Davidson said she felt as mayor it would be presumptuous to say the council was no longer going to celebrate Australia Day.
“Australia Day incorporates all of our history,” Cr Davidson said.
Labor and South Ward councillor Lambros Tapinos could hold the key to tonight’s motion being passed.
Cr Tapinos voted in June against dropping citizenship ceremonies from Australia Day but said he would support this new motion as long as it did not affect those events.
If all other councillors vote the same way as they did in June the motion will pass six-to-five.
“I will vote for the change-the-date campaign, I will not vote to change citizenship ceremonies,” Cr Tapinos said.
Cr Ratnam said she was hopeful that councillors who voted against changing citizenship ceremonies from Australia Day would support the most recent motion.
“I am hopeful that this will be passed,” Cr Ratnam said.
Cr Ratnam said she believed it was within the remit of councils to campaign to change the date of Australia Day.
“Councils are a lot more than roads, rates and rubbish,” Cr Ratnam said.
“We are hearing it from our community, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, to speak loudly and proudly and that’s what we are doing.”
Cr Ratnam said the council “might revisit citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day in future”.
Labor councillors Annalivia Carli Hannan and Oscar Yildiz, Greens councillor Dale Martin and independent councillor John Kavanagh did not respond to Leader’s survey.
HOW THEY VOTED LAST TIME ON CHANGES TO AUSTRALIA DAY
On moving citizenship ceremonies from Australia Day:
FOR: Councillors Ratnam, Riley, Bolton, Martin, Abboud
AGAINST: Councillors Davidson, Yildiz, Irfanli, Tapinos, Carli Hannan, Kavanagh
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