Allan government and Melbourne City Council refuse to deviate from existing Australia Day policies
The state government and Melbourne City Council are refusing to deviate from existing Australia Day policies this year, despite an uptick in public support to celebrate the national day.
Victoria
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The state government and Melbourne City Council will not deviate from existing Australia Day policies this year, despite an uptick in public support to celebrate the national day.
Staff in parliament and Town Hall will also have the option to work on the Australia Day public holiday and substitute it for another day off on a date of their choosing.
“The Victorian government supports Australia Day and we fund a range of free events for families,” a government spokesperson said.
“We know the day means different things to different people and that’s something we can all be respectful about.”
Government-funded events include a range of family activities at Federation Square, in addition to the annual 21-gun salute at the Shrine of Remembrance, the RAAF flyover and the Flag Raising Ceremony and Open Day at Government House.
There will once again be no parade in Melbourne, after the annual Australia Day march through the city was shelved during the pandemic.
Enterprise bargaining agreements for staff in government and council allowed them to take days off at different points of the year, rather than celebrating on January 26, spokespeople for both councils confirmed.
While the City of Melbourne will host citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, it is still council’s official position to advocate for the federal government to change the date of the national holiday away from January 26.
“The City of Melbourne will host nine citizenship ceremonies in 2025 – including on January 26,” a council spokesperson said.
“Under the City of Melbourne’s enterprise agreement, employees can substitute any public holiday for an alternative paid leave day of their choice.”
The refusal to change policy from both the state government and the City of Melbourne comes after a new report from the Institute of Policy Affairs revealed an uptick in public support for celebrating Australia Day on January 26.
The IPA’s annual survey of sentiment towards the holiday 69 per cent of Australians agreed with the statement, “Australia Day should be celebrated on January 26,” an increase of six per cent from 2024.
That led IPA deputy executive director Daniel Wild to declare there had been a “vibe shift” among the public in favour of celebrating the national holiday on the same day the First Fleet landed in Port Jackson in 1788.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has made the date of Australia Day an election issue, pledging to force councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26.
More than 30 per cent of Victorian councils will opt to not celebrate Australia Day in any form, including hosting citizenship ceremonies.
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