Australia Day debate looms for Surf Coast Shire as motion considered

A fresh-faced councillor is among those leading the charge to reinstate Australia Day on the Surf Coast, in the wake of Geelong council’s recent pivot.

Behind closed doors, Surf Coast Shire councillors are discussing a motion that would reinstate formal acknowledgement of Australia Day in the municipality. Picture: iStock

A Surf Coast councillor wants Australia Day celebrations and citizenship ceremonies to return and is among those preparing a motion that will see the nine-member council cast their views on the issue.

The move comes soon after Geelong councillors started the process to have citizenship ceremonies return, a move that has garnered support, along with criticism from Indigenous and reconciliation groups.

The Surf Coast motion is in its infancy and will likely be put forward at the shire’s meeting in late February.

Incumbent Surf Coast Shire councillor Rebecca Bourke is among a group of councillors planning a motion to reinstate Australia Day. Picture: Supplied.

Rebecca Bourke, one of four new faces on the council, said it was an issue she campaigned on and “hoped with (her) heart and soul” the motion would generate the positive reaction it did in Geelong.

The Torquay ward councillor said the motion would have “lots of stipulations”, including that Indigenous flags still be flown at half-mast and the continuation of the popular truth-telling Pilk Purriyn event.

“It (the motion) is just simply reinstating the celebrations of Australia Day,” she said.

“As someone who works in the mental health profession, I think more celebrations are a positive thing for the community.”

Eddy Kontelj is leading the charge to reinstate Australia Day in Greater Geelong.

Given the make-up of the Surf Coast council and its previous comments, the motion would likely fail but its broader intention is to spark a public debate.

An online ‘Addy poll overwhelmingly supports Ms Bourke’s position, with 93 per cent of almost 5000 votes agreeing that councils should be forced to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.

Like many successful candidates across the region, Ms Bourke campaigned on a “back to basics” mantra, as did fellow Torquay ward councillor Paul Barker.

Mr Barker, a senior figure within the Libertarian Party, said Australia Day was an issue that needed to be “nailed pretty early”.

The Shire’s truth-telling event, Pilk Purriyn, is presented by Wadawurrung traditional owners Aboriginal Corporation and has seen large crowds since it began. Picture: Ferne Millen

He said discussions were underway with councillors to formulate a motion that was “amenable to everyone”, but he conceded the proposal would “get a less positive response from some than others”.

Surf Coast Shire voted to stop acknowledging Australia Day in September 2021, something Geelong council did 18 months later.

Current mayor Mike Bodsworth, deputy mayor Libby Stapleton and councillor Liz Pattison were among those to vote for the change, joined by former councillors Gary Allen, Rose Hodge and Kate Gazzard.

Mr Barker and fellow incumbent Adrian Schonfelder, along with former councillor Heather Wellington, voted against the motion.

The move was described at the time as an important step towards reconciliation.

Consultation with traditional owners and other First Nations people was conducted in 2021 but just 12 people were involved.

Shire officers wrote in the report this was due to the “the late change from a face-to-face to online engagement session, and the small population size of First Nations people in Surf Coast Shire”.

The Shire’s engagement was focused on First Nations people in an effort to avoid a
“potentially divisive” process.

“Some people refer to debate on this topic as a culture war,” officers wrote at the time.

Originally published as Australia Day debate looms for Surf Coast Shire as motion considered