Darebin Council to vote on dumping Australia Day

ANOTHER Melbourne council is set to dump Australia Day, with Darebin Council bringing forward a vote in solidarity with City of Yarra.

• Yarra Council stripped of citizenship powers
• Council has right to axe Australia Day
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• Council may move its Australia Day date

DAREBIN Council will vote on dumping Australia Day on Monday in solidarity with Yarra Council.

The council will bring forward a debate on whether to dump its citizenship ceremonies from Australia Day out of respect to Aboriginal Australians, according to an urgent motion posted online on Friday afternoon.

One of the options councillors will consider is to hold the Australia Day awards and citizenship ceremony on January 25. The awards would be renamed The Darebin Community Awards.

The council was not set to debate the matter until September 4.

Darebin Mayor Kim Le Cerf said she had asked to move the debate forward “because of everything that (has) happened this week”.

Yarra Council was stripped of its powers to hold citizenship ceremonies this week after it defied warnings from the Federal Government not to “politicise” Australia Day.

Yarra councillors voted to rename Australia Day “January 26” and hold a smoking ceremony in place of a citizenship ceremony on the date.

Darebin Councillor Julie Williams slammed the motion as “disgraceful”.

“We need to be focusing on things we’re good at like roads and rubbish,” she said.

Darebin Council will vote on Monday to dump Australia Day in support of neighbouring Yarra Council.

“This has nothing to do with us, (Australia Day) is a federal issue.

Cr Le Cerf said this week that the council was undeterred by the Federal Government’s threats.

“Any future decision we make as a council regarding Australia Day events and citizenship ceremonies will reaffirm our long and proud history and commitment to reconciliation,” she said.

Councillors will meet on Monday night.

@edjgardiner