Yarra Council scraps Australia Day celebrations, won’t hold citizenship ceremonies

A MELBOURNE council is copping a hammering over its decision to cancel Australia Day celebrations, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying it divided Australians.

A MELBOURNE council is copping a hammering over its decision to cancel Australia Day celebrations.

Yarra City Council is the first in the nation to stop holding citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day out of respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Yarra City councillors voted on Tuesday night to stop referring to January 26 as Australia Day and to cease holding any citizenship ceremonies on that day from 2018.

The council is copping a huge backlash, even from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull himself.

He said he was disappointed by the council’s decision.

“The council is using a day that should unite Australians to divide Australians,” he said.

“I recognise Australia Day, and its history, is complex for many indigenous Australians but the overwhelming majority of Australians believe the 26th of January is the day and should remain our national day.”

The decision to cancel Australia Day also came despite a warning from Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Alex Hawke that councils could have their power to host citizenship ceremonies revoked if they politicise the events.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the Yarra Council’s decision would divide Australians. Picture Kym Smith

Mr Hawke on Wednesday blasted the council and branded its decision politically motivated.

“The government is today actively considering its options in response to Yarra Council’s continued politicisation of Australian citizenship ceremonies in an attempt to undermine Australia Day 26 January as our national day,” he told AAP in a statement.

“The Turnbull government has made its position repeatedly clear: councils must not use their ability to preside over citizenship ceremonies or determine the dates upon which they are held to in any way delegitimise Australia Day.” Huge protests were held at Australia Day events this year amid growing calls to find a new date for the national day because January 26 is seen as a day of mourning by many indigenous people given it marks the anniversary of the First Fleet’s arrival.

Yarra City mayor Amanda Stone said councillors considered the minister’s warning before voting but decided a bold change was required.

“In the last 12 months there has been a groundswell of community support for change from both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people across the country,” she said.

“People can still have their barbecues and parties on the January 26 public holiday but I hope our stance encourages people to stop and think about what this date really means in the history of our nation.”

Today Show's Karl Stefanovic passionately supports changes made to Australia Day in Yarra City.

Today show’s Karl Stefanovic strongly supported a Melbourne council’s move to become the first in the nation to stop holding citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day out of respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Yarra City councillors voted on Tuesday night to stop referring to January 26 as Australia Day and to cease holding any citizenship ceremonies on that day from 2018.

Despite pressure from the federal government against such a move, all councillors voted unanimously.

Stefanovic agreed with the decision and said the day represented the time Australia changed forever.

“There is an argument in this country for Australia Day to be moved. What do you think? My initial response is what many would think ... ‘cmon, leave it alone. Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders, this is our day, all of us. Everyone come together. Commemorate but also celebrate. After all, that’s what we do on Anzac Day,” he said.

“But I’ve changed my mind. Having spoken to several people from those communities, I empathise. As hard as some want to ignore it, January 26 marks a day this land changed forever for one of the oldest and most beautiful cultures in the world.

“To this day, mortality rates for indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders are alarming. It wasn’t until March 1962 the Menzies government finally gave the right to vote for all aboriginal people. We look back at the horror of the Stolen Generation ... Earlier in the 20th century, the White Australia policy, then we look at what happened in Tasmania.

“They are all facts and all incredibly painful. If we are to truly follow through with the apology and move forward together hand-in-hand, arm in arm, then I believe it must change. So lets do it together. Certainly let’s debate it together.”

Australia Day celebrations in Melbourne.

All clauses passed unamended in the Yarra City Council meeting, despite some fiery submissions from a few people in the audience who said the council hadn’t surveyed the community widely enough. Councillor Mi-Lin Chen Yi Mei, who brought the motion forward, said it was an important move because the day was not inclusive.

“It’s really an opportunity to engage with the community and to educate them on indigenous affairs,” she told the meeting.

I am proud to be apart of a Council that has the courage to advocate for change.#changethedate #yarracity #rockcity

— Mi-Lin Chen Yi Mei (@MiLinChenYiMei) August 15, 2017

Councillors said January 26 was the wrong day for a celebration and a party. The council’s move has outraged Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Alex Hawke, who has fired off a letter to councils across the country warning they could be banned from hosting any more citizenship ceremonies if they stop holding them on Australia Day.

“Local councils are now on notice that if they politicise Australian citizenship, the government will see it as a breach of the (Australian Citizenship Ceremonies) code and take the appropriate action,” he said. Mayor Amanda Stone said she can’t find any requirement in the code for councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.

“The code actually says you shouldn’t use a ceremony to promote a political agenda or a religious agenda or commercial agenda,” she told AAP. “We wouldn’t be intending to do that. We are simply considering changing when we hold our first citizenship ceremony of the year.”

Australia Day celebrations cancelled in Yarra City.

Yarra City usually holds citizenship ceremonies every two months. Ms Stone said councillors took into consideration the ministers’ warning before tonight’s vote, but all decided a bold move for change was required.

Yarra Council residents also backed the decision and said they were proud of the council.

But others had slammed the changes, with one dubbing it “silly” and another suggesting it was not councils job to make changes to Australia Day.

Simon Ramsay, member for Western Victoria, wrote a tweet questioning where administrators needed to be brought in to Yarra Council.

“Their decision to change the date of Australia Day is disgraceful and decisive,” he tweeted.

— With AAP

very silly

— Michael Lewis (@miclew317) August 15, 2017

Empty the bins and keep the Childcare centres open. That's all we need councils to do.

— Darren C (@bigreddaz1973) August 15, 2017