City of Unley Council votes to restore Australia Day ceremonies to January 26

In a shock backflip, one local council has reversed a controversial decision made in regards to January 26 celebrations.

A local council in South Australia has backflipped on its decision to move Australia Day celebrations away from January 26.

Councillors with the City of Unley, a small council area that covers Adelaide’s prosperous southern inner-city, voted 8-4 on Monday night to restore its citizenship ceremony and Australia Day awards to January 26, after earlier voting to move the events to the evening of January 25.

The reversal, proposed by Councillor Rebekah Rogers, followed a community survey that showed 60.6 per cent of residents wanted the council to keep the ceremonies on January 26.

“We cannot ask our community for their opinion and then not listen to the result,” Ms Rogers said on Monday.

“Tonight’s vote is on a consultation process.

“The community wanted a say and we gave them a say.”

Ms Rogers proposed the earlier motion to reject January 26, which the council passed 7-5 in March 2023.

Unley Council chambers on Unley Road in Adelaide. Picture: Colin James

Australia Day marks the arrival of the British First Fleet into Australia. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

Her new motion asked the council to acknowledge January 26 was a “divisive date” for many Australians, but Unley should nonetheless hold its citizenship ceremony, Australia Day awards and community event on January 26 and the allocate $20,000 for the 2025 celebration.

The vote triggered sharp emotions from the public and the councillors.

Before the vote, Indigenous Elder Major ‘Moogy’ Sumner AM spoke out against January 26 and implored councillors to maintain their original position.

“We can all enjoy another day,” he said.

“Why change it back? To rub salt into a wound? Or to say, ‘well, we’re going to have it whether you like it or not’.”

January 26 marks the day the British First Fleet arrived in Sydney Cove and it serves as a source of pain for many Indigenous Australians.

“I don’t think anyone would like to celebrate on the date that all the Jews died in the prison camps, on that day,” Uncle Moogy said.

“That’s how we feel. We feel the hurt within us.”

The City of Unley is a small council area covering Adelaide's inner south. Picture: Google Maps

Tension around Australia Day ceremonies erupted across the country after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese changed the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code in 2022, allowing councils to hold ceremonies either on January 26 or within three days before or after the date.

Councillor Jennifer Bonham, speaking against the motion, said January 26 was a day that could be likened to “celebrating the holocaust”.

“A day, which at its core, is a celebration of the colonisation of Australia, rather than the resilience of its First Nations people,” she said.

Councillor Jane Russo said the survey data was not deep enough for councillors to truly know community sentiment.

City of Unley Councillor Rebekah Rogers proposed the change back to January 26 to reflect community wishes. Picture: Supplied

Councillor Don Palmer hit out at the Federal government for putting local councils in the position of voting on contentious social issues.

“Take responsibility and don’t handball it to local government,” he said.

Ms Rogers, who said she personally opposed the January 26 date, argued councillors “must not turn away from our community”.

“Otherwise, they will not engage with us, they will not trust us,” she said.

“We were elected to serve our community.”

The vote makes Unley the first council to reverse a decision to alter Australia Day.

Originally published as City of Unley Council votes to restore Australia Day ceremonies to January 26