Melbourne City Council and the Victorian Government are standing firm on their Australia Day policies despite growing support for the national holiday.
Victoria will not bring back Melbourne’s Australia Day Parade, which was a centerpiece of the celebrations until it was canceled by former premier Dan Andrews during the Covid period four years ago.
Staff working for the state government and Melbourne City Council will also continue to have the option to avoid Australia Day as a holiday by choosing another day off.
Although the City of Melbourne will host traditional citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, the council confirmed it still opposes January 26 as the national celebration date.
“The City of Melbourne will host nine citizenship ceremonies in 2025, including on January 26,” a council spokesperson told the Herald of the sun.
“Under the City of Melbourne Enterprise Agreement, employees may substitute any holiday with an alternative day of paid leave of their choice.”
The Victorian government said it will continue to hold some traditional Australia Day activities, including the annual 21-gun salute at the Shrine of Remembrance, a RAAF flyover and flag-raising ceremony and open day at the Government House.
“The Victorian Government supports Australia Day and we fund a number of free events for families,” a government spokesperson said.
Melbourne City Council and Victorian Government remain firm on their Australia Day policies despite growing support for the national holiday (pictured, Australia Day celebrations on the Gold Coast)
“We know the day means different things to different people and that’s something we can all respect.”
Earlier this week, right-wing think tank the Institute of Public Affairs released a poll showing a rise in support for January 26 as Australia Day, particularly among young people.
The survey, which is conducted annually, found that 69 percent of 1,002 respondents agreed that the national holiday should remain on Jan. 26, a six-point increase from 12 months ago.
There was an even more dramatic rise in support from those ages 18 to 24, with 52 percent backing it on Jan. 26, up from 42 percent last year.
The survey showed that a majority in all age groups now prefers January 26 as the date for the national commemoration.
It also found that 86 per cent of respondents were “proud to be Australian”, while 68 per cent agreed that Australia has “a history to be proud of”.
January 26, which marks the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney’s Port Jackson in 1788, has been labeled Invasion Day by those who see it as a date to mourn the colonization and dispossession of indigenous Australians.
IPA deputy chief executive Daniel Wild said the results demonstrated a change in the vibe and energy surrounding Australia Day.

Although the City of Melbourne will host traditional citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, the council confirmed it still opposes January 26 as a national observance date (pictured, an Invasion Day rally held in 2023).
“It is clear that the majority of Australians have regretted this attitude and having been subjected to harassment by the elites,” Wild said.
“January 26 is more than just a date – it represents the establishment of modern Australia as a free and fair country.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has signaled he will make Australia Day an election issue by promising to introduce laws requiring councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26.
Daily Mail Australia revealed on Friday that more than 150 councils across the country will not hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day this year.
However, that figure may be much higher, given that just under two-thirds of Australia’s 537 councils responded to our questions.
Councils that responded also revealed that this was just one of the measures they were taking to make January 26 more inclusive, with some lowering flags to half-mast on the day and others holding healing ceremonies for their new citizens.
In late 2022, the Albanian administration repealed a previous rule requiring councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.
At the time, Anthony Albanese insisted there was “no change here”, but last year more than 80 councils decided to scrap citizenship ceremonies on January 26, 2023, up from just four the previous year.