Why should Councils bear the brunt of Australia Day divisions? And. Why should Citizenship Ceremonies be the vehicle used to fuel this?
My contribution to the motions presented to Council (both last year and now) was a pragmatic approach. A contribution focusing on the best timing of holding a Citizenship Ceremony.
I did not address whether there should be a holiday. Likewise, whether we should be celebrating or mourning the history of the landing of the first fleet. That is not and should not be a local government issue. It is a Federal Government issue that the Federal Government has unceremoniously dumped on Councils to wear. This is not right.
Given this. And. Given our community strongly supports having our citizenship ceremony and an attached community event, I changed my vote from last year to bring the ceremony back to the 26th. One of three elected members to do this. The remaining members, I suggest, voted on ideological grounds. Meaning they were voting (I believe) on whether we should be celebrating Australia Day.
Until recently the Federal Government was responsible for this. They compelled us to have our citizenship ceremony on the day of Australia Day.
My contribution to the debate and why we should bear the brunt of Australia Day divisions follows:
When the Prime Minister (last year) decreed we are responsible for making the decision when to hold the ceremony, several councils (including us) determined to hold it on other days.
These decisions may well have been for ideological purposes. As members are aware, however, my vote this time last year was based on pragmatic logic. My logic (at the time) was why hold the event at such a time as to break up the long weekend. In other words, no long weekend no need to change.
Curiously and more significantly, the same applies in 2025. Australia Day is on the Sunday.
Moving the day of the event last year did not address the hurt and the division that exists in the community. Likewise, it did not encourage those believing it should not be on Australia Day to attend events held on those other days. I expect the same will be the case in 2025 too.
While it makes pragmatic sense to hold it at the beginning or the end of the long weekend, shifting it from Australia Day is not going to heal hurts. It is, I believe, only going to escalate the debate and the hurt.
Interestingly the survey reveals more of us want an event on Australia Day event than want a citizenship ceremony. Maybe those people believe we should have two events. An Australia Day event and (on a different day) a citizenship ceremony. On the other hand, maybe this demonstrates that citizenship is not being celebrated the way it should be. That is sad.
Given all that, I believe we should return to having the ceremony on the day. But only if it is attached to a wider community event as this motion stipulates. Coupled with an Australia Day event that shows respect for all citizens, be that first nations or new arrivals and everyone in between. If it remains a ceremony and just a celebration for new citizens and their families, then we should seriously consider having it on Friday night rather than the middle of the weekend (Sunday).
Finally, and for the record, decisions on when to hold citizenship ceremonies should remain where it belongs. With the Federal Government. In other words, Feds, take irresponsibility and don’t handball it to local government.
Sadly Councils bear the brunt of Australia Day divisions, or at least this one.
Dammed last year for a 7 to 5 vote to change it. Dammed this year 8 votes to 4 for reinstating it. The timing of the Citizenship Ceremony that is.