A council has angered taxpayers for using their money to fund a “Survival Day” event on Australia Day.
Survival Day and “Invasion Day” are names used for Australia Day by some indigenous Australians and their supporters.
In a social media post, Mount Barker Council in the Adelaide Hills asked locals to “respectfully mark” Survival Day on January 26 at an event organized by the Ruby Hunter Foundation and supported by the council with a grant of $5,000.
The post prompted Councilor Rebecca Hewett to create a Facebook poll asking the community if they supported the council funding the event.
With 645 voters, 85 per cent of those who expressed their opinion did not agree with the council funding the event.
But Ms Hewett deleted the post after claiming Mayor David Leach emailed her to say: “Your actions in the attached Facebook post are not acceptable and constitute a breach of council member behavior standards. “.
Mrs. Hewett told the Advertiser She started the survey after taxpayers contacted her to say they didn’t want their money spent that way.
“I got a lot of phone calls from residents and they were very upset about this,” he said.
Councilor Rebecca Hewett (pictured) created a poll on Facebook asking the community if they supported the council funding the event.
But the councilor, who plans to run for One Nation in the Mayo seat at the next federal election, previously voted in favor of funding the Survival Day event.
“I fully supported them being able to organize a Survival Day,” he said.
“At the time, I didn’t know it was going to be held on January 26, so I wasn’t given that information when I voted for it.”
Ms Hewett attempted to raise ratepayer concerns at a council meeting on Monday night, but claimed her statement was interrupted by Mr Leach.
In a recording of the meeting heard by the Advertiser, the mayor repeatedly interrupted a speech by Ms Hewett.
Last year’s Survival Day event was attended by more than 1,000 people, the council said.
Ruby Hunter Foundation president Eric Richards said the event is “for reconciliation, for healing, for our first nation and the education of our younger generation.”
He said he was “upset” by Ms Hewett’s survey, saying it “demonstrates to Aboriginal people that we do not recognize an Aboriginal nation in this country”.

Taxpayers are calling a council “woke” and criticizing it for using their money to fund a “Survival Day” event on Australia Day. Archive image of the indigenous smoke ceremony
Most responses to the council’s Facebook post about Survival Day were very clear in their disagreement.
‘January 26 is Australia Day. Why is Mount Barker District Council supporting an event that disparages Australia Day, one wrote.
“No thanks, I’ll celebrate Australia Day with my family,” wrote another.
But not everyone agreed, with one person writing: “Thank you for promoting this event.”
“It sounds like an important avenue for people who want to become more educated and respectfully recognize this day in any way they choose. I hope the event is a success.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Hewett, Mr Leach and Mr Richards for comment.