City of Melbourne Scraps Australia Day Date Change Campaign

The City of Melbourne has voted to cease its campaign to change the date of Australia Day celebrations, despite concerns from some councillors and the community. The decision was made after an hour of debate at a council meeting, with councillors ultimately deciding to recognise January 26 as Australia's national day.

Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece voted for the council to acknowledge January 26 as Australia Day, but expressed his personal belief that the date should be changed. "I understand that for Aboriginal Australians, the 26th of January is seen as Invasion Day and it's a day of heartache," he said. "My view is that we should, as a nation, look to change the date and find a day that we can all get behind."

However, Cr Reece acknowledged that the decision to change the date lies with the federal government, not the local council. The City of Melbourne will continue to hold its citizenship ceremony on January 26 and host community events, including the Share the Spirit Festival and the Day of Mourning dawn service.

Councillor Gladys Liu also supported the decision to stop campaigning for a date change. "The main thing is how to celebrate, how to feel proud to be Australian, especially on a day when we welcome so many new citizens," she said. "We don't want it to just stop just at the ceremony without any activities afterwards."

The council will investigate whether it has room in its budget for multicultural celebrations to complement its annual citizenship ceremony. This includes taking over responsibility for the Australia Day parade, which was previously funded by the Victorian government but has not been held since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not all councillors were in agreement with the decision, with Greens councillor Olivia Ball expressing her disappointment. "First Nations people have been clear, and council's own consultation showed a clear majority of residents and businesses want the date changed," Cr Ball said. "We should be listening to them, not walking away from them."

Cr Liu acknowledged that there are different views about the significance of January 26, particularly for First Nations people. "We always acknowledge the significance the day holds for many First Nations people," she said. "We want to make sure that people who want to mourn can do that. At the same time, people who want to celebrate Australia Day can also do that."