Residents in northern Perth suburb want ‘nation’s biggest’ citizenship ceremony to stay on January 26

Residents in Perth’s north favour keeping their city’s celebrated Australia Day citizenship ceremony on January 26, as their local council mulls moving it back to the contentious date after a break from tradition this year.

The results of three separate surveys were revealed this week in a report after the City of Wanneroo’s ceremony – which previously has been crowned the country’s largest several years in a row – was moved to the last Saturday in January.

The City of Wanneroo hosted the biggest council-led Australia Day citizenship ceremony in the country seven years in a row.Credit: Facebook

However, public pushback has led city staff to recommend the ceremony date remain on January 26.

A door-to-door random Market Research Sample survey of 375 City of Wanneroo residents showed 48 per cent wanted to keep the ceremony on Australia Day; 19 per cent wanted to change it; and 33 per cent had no preference.

An online Open Survey Sample survey available to all residents and ratepayers, completed by 214 people, showed 74 per cent supported keeping the date, 20 per cent were against it, and six had no preference.

The main reasons for keeping the ceremony on Australia Day included national significance, tradition and convenience.

Those in favour of changing the ceremony date listed cultural sensitivity, solidarity with First Nations Australians, and the desire to avoid controversy as their reasons.

The city also held its own poll of attendees at the 2023 citizenship ceremony.

Of 65 attendees surveyed, 85 per cent said that they were pleased to attend on Australia Day and would not have preferred an alternative date.

In 2020, the city hosted the biggest council-led Australia Day citizenship ceremony in the country for the seventh year running, when more than 1000 residents from 65 countries took the pledge at Wanneroo Showgrounds.

In 2024, the ceremony was moved to January 27 after a recommendation from the city’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait community reference group, Ni Kadadjiny Koort.

Members of Ni Kadadjiny Koort have not welcomed reverting the date back to the 26th, telling staff in October it would be a “backwards step” in the city’s reconciliation journey.

A report prepared for Wanneroo council ahead of a vote next week to retain the ceremony on January 26 said while keeping the date could potentially hurt the city’s reconciliation initiatives and relationships, the city deemed the issue of the ceremony date and the broader debate on changing the date of Australia Day itself to be separate issues.

“In this context and in considering the consultation and survey outcomes, it is recommended that the City’s future Australia Day citizenship ceremonies are held on January 26 for the foreseeable future,” the report said.

“It is acknowledged that the date of Australia Day is an emotive and sensitive issue for many people in the community and that regardless of the date that the City’s Australia Day ceremony is held on, there is potential for some people to be upset by the decision.”

The city’s Festival and Cultural Events Committee supported changing the ceremony to the last Saturday of January, regardless of whether it fell on January 26.

Council will meet on Tuesday, November 12.

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