The latest councils to elect to forgo customary festivities on January 26 are those in central Victoria and the Adelaide Hills.
On January 25, the City of Greater Bendigo will hold its Australia Day citizenship ceremony. On January 26, “more inclusive events” will be planned in collaboration with the nearby First Nations community.
The choice was made on Monday night during the July council meeting.
The council’s decision, according to Mayor Andrea Metcalf, demonstrated their “increased leadership and understanding around the impact of January 26 on local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.”
I appreciate the city supporting opportunities in the future for the Greater Bendigo community to unite and show compassion and empathy while also considering the effects of colonization on First Nations people, the woman said.
The council announced that on January 26, “traditional Australia Day events” will still be held by neighborhood service clubs and volunteer organizations.
The major has urged people to treat one another with respect when talking about the subject, especially in the days leading up to the Voice referendum.
“Words have impact, regardless of your own feelings. I want to emphasize the value of providing space for everyone because I do not want to see our community split over such issues.
On Tuesday night, Adelaide Hills Council also decided against hosting citizenship ceremonies, award ceremonies, or support celebrations on January 26.
Instead, within three days of January 26, citizenship ceremonies will be held.
According to Mayor Jan-Claire Wisdom, “January 26 is a day of celebration and national pride for many Australians, but it’s a day of mourning for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Aboriginal Australians.”
“This is a barrier to people participating in citizenship and award ceremonies, which are by their very nature supposed to be inclusive community events.”
The choices were made in response to moves made by the Victorian councils of Geelong City, Merri-bek, Yarra, and Darebin council to alter how they observe Australia Day.
In May, Geelong City took the initiative to discontinue referring to January 26 as Australia Day.
