Australia Day 2019: Darebin Council slams Scott Morrison on changes
The mayor of Darebin Council has slammed Scott Morrison’s new Australia Day rules and recomitted the council to not celebrating the national holiday on January 26.
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Darebin Mayor Susan Rennie has slammed Scott Morrison’s new Australia Day rules as a “PR stunt” and recommitted the council to not celebrating the national holiday on January 26.
But community opinion remains divided over whether Australia Day should be moved from the current date.
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The council was stripped of its power to hold citizenship ceremonies in 2017 after it voted to stop holding them on Australia Day.
Cr Rennie said the council was not “anti-Australia Day” but was opposed to celebrating national identity on a day that was not inclusive of First Nations people.
“The PM’s announcement was a public relations stunt designed to further divide this country and stir the dying embers of a culture war, and is a condescending and insulting debate,” she said.
A Leader poll conducted on Facebook showed the community split on the issue, with 53 per cent of the 378 responses voting to change the date from January 26.
“Keep the day, change the acknowledgment. Who are westerners to decide what is offensive?” Ella Mäntynen wrote.
Cr Rennie’s comments came in response to the Federal Government plan to force councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26 and Australian Citizenship Day on September 17.
The changes would also enforce a strict dress code for the ceremonies.
Yarra and Darebin councils were both stripped of their power after they voted to not hold ceremonies on Australia Day.
Moreland Council holds citizenship ceremonies on January 26 but does not refer to it as “Australia Day”.
Darebin Council plans to hold an inclusive national day event in late 2019.
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