Australia Day 2021: Whittlesea Council cancels celebrations

A council in Melbourne’s north has cancelled its Australia Day event, noting the “distress” the date causes for many in the community.

The City of Whittlesea will no longer hold an Australia Day event. Picture: File photo

Whittlesea Council has cancelled its Australia Day celebrations, noting the distress the date causes for the Aboriginal community.

The council came to the decision after completing a review of all its festivals and events to ensure they were inclusive, safe and best value.

At its December 7 meeting, the council resolved to continue with a citizenship ceremony on January 26, but it will stop holding an Australia Day event, including fireworks.

The council’s Australia Day Awards will be renamed the Whittlesea Community Awards in 2021 and announced at an event later in the year.

And the council’s changes to Australia Day appear to be permanent.

“We do not anticipate celebrating Australia Day as a major event and fireworks display on the 26 January at any time in the future,” the council said on its website.

It follows a similar decision from Ballarat Council, which also cancelled its 2021 Australia Day fireworks, in a bid to improve the council’s relationship with Indigenous communities.

The City of Yarra was stripped of citizenship ceremony powers after voting to scrap Australia Day in 2017.

The City of Whittlesea has the second largest Aboriginal population in metropolitan Melbourne.

Whittlesea Council chair of administrators Lydia Wilson said the decision to take a different approach to Australia Day was multifaceted.

She said it included complexities around the January 26 date particularly for the Aboriginal community, summer risks with fireworks, rising event costs and evolving restrictions around gatherings due to COVID-19.

“Council acknowledged that 26 January is a complex and contested date to celebrate Australia Day,” Ms Wilson said.

“We recognise this causes distress for many people living in our community, and we are committed to moving forward in a way that will build relationships and understanding.”

Whittlesea Council chief executive Craig Lloyd said current celebrations on Australia Day don’t include all Australians.

“For Aboriginal Australians in particular, January 26 represents a very painful time in our history,” he said.

Whittlesea Reconciliation Group co-chair Sarah Gafforini welcomed the decision.

“We fought for this decision for many years to raise awareness that January 26 is an inappropriate day to celebrate Australia,” Ms Gafforini said.

“We stood strong and congratulate council in finally joining us.

“When you know better you do better. For those in the community that don’t like this decision, learn the true history of Australia. We all deserve to celebrate Australia together.

“Next year celebrates 20 years of the Whittlesea Reconciliation Group. This decision means we can now look ahead to what can be, together.”

Opinions were divided on Whittlesea Council’s Facebook page.

“City of Whittlesea, I hope that all cultural celebrations will now not be funded or supported by this City, not just Australia Day,” Michelle wrote, while Shelley thanked the council “for taking this step forward in compassion and respect towards this nation’s original custodians who inhabited this land 65,000 years ago”.