Councils dump citizenship ceremonies in war on Australia Day

The Albanese government has been accused of waging a secret war to change the date of Australia Day — and using councils to do the dirty work as more than 80 cancel citizenship ceremonies on January 26. See if your council is on the list.

Lauren Ruiz and US tourist Rhianna Lyndop enjoy Australia Day 2023 at Grange Beach. Picture: Morgan Sette

A year after Anthony Albanese promised there would be “no changes” to Australia Day, more than 80 local councils across the country have said they will dump their traditional citizenship ceremonies on January 26.

The surge in councils choosing not to mark the country’s national day has prompted ­accusations from opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan that the Albanese government “is laying the groundwork” for its abolition.

The change follows a December 2022 decision by the then-newly elected Labor government to revoke a rule that effectively forced local councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.

At the time, Mr Albanese said even though the government had given councils a choice, they should continue to conduct them, pledging: “I support Australia Day.”

He rejected charges from the opposition that his government was determined to kill Australia Day by stealth, reassuring Australians that “there are no changes here”.

The Opposition claims Anthony Albanese is ‘laying the groundwork’ for the abolition of Australia Day on January 26. Picture: Nikki Short

In 2023, only four councils across Australia chose not to hold Australia Day citizenship ceremonies — three in Melbourne and the City of Sydney.

But a year later the landscape has been completely transformed, with at least 81 councils around the country announcing they will not be holding citizenship ­ceremonies on January 26.

Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan. Picture: Martin Ollman

According to an answer given in Senate Estimates, by mid-November this year 70 councils had informed the federal government they would no longer host Australia Day citizenship ceremonies.

At least another 11 councils have now announced that they are also axing them.

Mr Tehan said the government was undermining Australia Day and the policy was “paying dividends”.

“Labor is undermining the significance of Australia Day and is laying the groundwork to abolish January 26 as Australia Day,” he said.

“If the Prime Minister wants to change Australia Day, he should be upfront with the Australian people instead of working in the shadows to change the date.”

The state keenest on binning Australia Day cere­monies was Victoria, where 22 of its 79 councils have dumped them this year,

NSW was the next highest, with 19 of the state’s 128 local government authorities having given them the flick.

In Sydney, the inner-city councils of Woollahra and the City of Sydney have both dumped them but the Inner West Council, which includes Marrickville in the PM’s seat of Grayndler, is holding one.

The Turnbull government’s rule forcing councils to hold citizenship ceremonies dated back to 2017, and those that refused to host them on January 26 were stripped of the power to hold any at all.

In December last year, this rule was revoked. Now they just have to hold one between January 23 and 29.

WHAT WE SAY

We hate to break it to local councils, but it is not up to you to decide when this country celebrates Australia Day. And the same goes for corporations, retailers and community groups.

Like it or not, Australia Day is officially January 26 — and as our national day, it makes perfect sense that that is when new citizens declare an oath of loyalty to their adopted country.

It is probably true that a proper national conversation needs to be had, and that may well lead to a change of date.

But a guerrilla campaign run by individual sections of the community is not the way to do it.

If the Albanese government wants to change the date — and it is clear many within the administration do — then it needs to be upfront with the electorate and let the debate begin. Outsourcing the decision to councils to do the dirty work is not on.

Like the recent Voice to Parliament, if this is not dealt with properly, it will never be settled.

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Originally published as Councils dump citizenship ceremonies in war on Australia Day