An Adelaide council will debate whether to reverse its decision and move Australia Day ceremonies to January 26.
Unley Council will vote on Monday on a motion to move its citizenship ceremonies and Citizen of the Year awards, after a majority of respondents supported reversing the council’s previous decision to move the celebrations to January 25.
Earlier this year, the council asked residents for their feedback on the issue and posted a survey on its website.
During the consultation period, 842 residents responded, with 60 percent supporting a return to January 26.
Councilwoman Rebekah Rogers made a motion to vote on the survey results, and the council will vote on the proposal on Monday.
“As a local government, we are responsible as a council for our own community in Unley,” Mayor Michael Hewitson told Nine News.
“We have a whole range of opinions on the council, just as there are throughout the community as a whole”
This comes after nearly 40 per cent of Victorian councils dropped traditional events normally held on Australia Day.
An Adelaide city council will debate whether to reverse its decision and move Australia Day ceremonies to January 26 (file image)
In 2022, the Albanese Government made changes to the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code, allowing local councils to hold their Australia Day ceremonies on 26 January or within three days before and after (pictured, Australia Day at Bondi Beach)
Thirty of Victoria’s 79 councils did not hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26.
The Surf Coast council, based in the coastal town of Torquay, 104 kilometres southwest of Melbourne, was one of those to pull out of Australia Day events altogether.
Instead, it focused on Pilk Purriyn, “a truth-telling event hosted by the Wadawurrung Aboriginal Traditional Owners Corporation”.
When Scott Morrison was prime minister, the Coalition introduced a policy requiring large local councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on 26 January as part of their Australia Day celebrations.
But that was revoked last year when the Albanian government gave councils the freedom to hold citizenship ceremonies, so councils can now hold ceremonies for three days before and after January 26.
A Roy Morgan Research poll last week found 59 per cent of people said Australia Day should continue to be celebrated on January 26.
