Whittlesea Council to include minute’s silence on Australia Day for Stolen Generations
A “mourning ceremony” and minute of silence will make up a Melbourne council’s Australia Day events — and that could just be the beginning, with the mayor not ruling out a future date change.
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Whittlesea Council will hold a minute’s silence and “mourning ceremony” as part of its Australia Day celebrations.
The controversial call was made on Tuesday — just moments before the council voted behind closed doors to axe former police boss Simon Overland from his role as chief executive.
The sacking sparked the State Government to intervene, appointing an independent monitor to oversee issues and decisions at the embattled council.
Whittlesea Reconciliation Group submitted a letter in 2017 requesting the council cease Australia Day festivities on January 26.
There has been ongoing consultation since, with the council finally deciding to continue to deliver activities, but develop a more “respectful and inclusive” approach.
A minute’s silence will occur at the start of all indoor and outdoor events and all guest speakers will be instructed to acknowledge “past injustices in our nation’s history”.
An official mourning ceremony will also pay respects to atrocities during the Stolen Generations.
In a statement, the council-run Whittlesea Reconciliation Group said the decision was just a “start”.
“Some small steps were achieved last night,” it read.
“For the first time councillors (all but a few) acknowledged that January 26 is a painful day and more needs to be done by council to celebrate what it means to be Australian in a more respectful and inclusive way … we will continue to keep council accountable and will watch closely what actions are taken.”
The move has angered some, including Mernda resident William Sharp who said it would open the door for Australia Day to be cancelled across Whittlesea.
“This does nothing but create an us versus them mentality — we are all Australian,” he said.
“We all come from different backgrounds and hardships, but Australia Day is celebrating what we’ve got today.”
Mayor Emilia Sterjova did not rule out changing the date in future.
“Something that Australia Day does signify is the beginning of the genocide of indigenous Australians — that is something that cannot be ignored,” she said.
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“Unfortunately we’re in a difficult situation because we also want to celebrate the wonderful cultural diversity that Australia has.
“We’re also in a difficult situation because the Federal Government has basically threatened the councils and said that if we were to change the date ourselves we would be stripped of our right to host citizenship ceremonies.
“That in turn doesn’t allow migrants and refugees, who have every right to call the City of Whittlesea their home, a way to enter into our municipality.”