Australia Day: Yarra Council punished by government for cancelling national event

A MELBOURNE council wants a meeting with the federal government after its power to hold citizenship ceremonies was revoked following a vote to stop referring to January 26 as Australia Day.

Yarra City councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday night to move its traditional citizenship and citizen-of-the-year award ceremonies from January 26 to another date out of respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It will also cease to refer to January 26 as Australia Day and officially join the change-the-date campaign in its publications and social media. The move by the Greens-dominated council angered Canberra, which on Wednesday stripped the power of Yarra Council officers to hold a citizenship ceremony at any time of the year.

Yarra Mayor Amanda Stone says the council does not believe it is in breach of the citizenship ceremonies code and is seeking a meeting with the government.

“We are working through the implications of the (minister’s) announcement,” she said in a statement on Wednesday night.

“We will be seeking to discuss this matter with the Assistant Minister as soon as possible.”

Source: Australia Day: Yarra Council punished by government for cancelling national event