Fury as councils ban ‘politically incorrect’ Australia Day celebrations because they are ‘offensive to Aboriginals’ – as it’s revealed Greens MPs will attend ‘Invasion Day’ rallies
- Some councils axing Australia Day celebrations, to the fury of some residents
- The change have been made out of respect for Indigenous Australians
- But some have expressed confusion at the councils’ desertion from January 26
Councils across the country are axing Australia Day celebrations, to the fury of some residents, while some Greens MPs will attend ‘Invasion Day’ rallies instead.
Byron Bay in New South Wales, Fremantle in Western Australia and Victoria’s Darebin, Yarra and Moreland councils are among the first to cancel official events on January 26.
The changes have been made out of respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who see Australia Day as a time of mourning.
The national public holiday recognises the date in 1788 when the First Fleet arrived and British sovereignty was declared on the land that would become Australia.
Councils across the country are axing Australia Day celebrations, to the fury of some residents
Byron Bay, Fremantle in Western Australia and Victoria’s Darebin, Yarra and Moreland councils are among the first to cancel official events out of respect for Indigenous Australians
Recently however, many have questioned if the historic date of the celebration should be changed.
Inner-city Melbourne’s Yarra City Council last year became the first in the country to stop holding citizenship ceremonies on January 26.
Similarly, the City of Fremantle has held its Australia Day celebrations the day after the rest of the country for the past three years.
City of Darebin Mayor Susan Rennie in Melbourne’s north told SBS News her council ‘will not be marking January 26 by holding any events’ for the second year in a row.
The Byron Shire Council will hold celebrations on the evening on January 25 with citizenship ceremonies held the following day
The Byron Shire Council will hold celebrations on the evening on January 25 with citizenship ceremonies held the following day.
While the changes have been lauded by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, they have sparked backlash in other facets of the community.
Online, Perth residents expressed fury and confusion at the councils’ desertion from January 26-based celebrations.
The comments come as it was revealed by The Australian that Greens MPs will attend ‘Invasion Day’ rallies around the country on January 26
‘It’s all noise being made by loud greens voters and socialists. I can’t imagine ever being so fragile I need to use atrocities of yesteryear as a red herring for me to project my insecurities onto happy Australians,’ wrote one man.
‘So your saying I can celebrate in city then again in Freo. How is that a bad thing?’ joked another in reference to Fremantle’s January 26 celebrations.
The comments come as it was revealed by The Australian that Greens MPs will attend ‘Invasion Day’ rallies around the country on January 26.
The Greens’ move is part of a bid to pose political pressure toward Bill Shorten and the Labor Party to change their sway of support for Australia Day
The move is part of a bid to pose political pressure toward Bill Shorten and the Labor Party to change their sway of support for Australia Day.
Greens’ Indigenous affairs spokeswoman, Rachel Siewert told the publication that Mr Shorten’s opposition to support changing the date was out of step with the majority of Australians.
‘He says ‘yeah we know a lot of Aboriginal people aren’t happy with it’, but he still thinks we should be celebrating on that day. He is trying to have it both ways,’ she said.