A local council has sparked outrage after changing the date of its Australia Day awards – but insists it isn’t politically motivated.
Knox City Council, in Melbourne’s east, moved next year’s outstanding citizen award ceremony to later in the year.
The award was made to recognise the achievement of everyday locals ‘who have gone above and beyond’ in their community.
The change has sparked backlash from the community, who have slammed a ‘handful of councilors’ who they suspect are trying to cancel Australia day.
Knox Mayor Marcia Timmers-Leitch said it was not a statement on the city’s stance on the date, instead blaming the dwindling interest in the ceremony with the council receiving just 19 nominations for the awards.
Numerous Victorian councils, including those from Shepparton, Geelong and Strathbogie Shire, have opted to cancel January 26 celebration all together in 2024
![Knox Mayor Marcia Timmers-Leitch has insisted that the move is not the council taking a stance on Australia Day, but that it is instead trying to drum up more nominations (pictured, a recipient of the award in the Northern Territory)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/04/76363531-12612769-image-a-4_1696908773957.jpg)
Knox Mayor Marcia Timmers-Leitch has insisted that the move is not the council taking a stance on Australia Day, but that it is instead trying to drum up more nominations (pictured, a recipient of the award in the Northern Territory)
More than 160,000 people live within the Knox City Council, and Cr Timmers-Leitch said that she would like the awards to reflect that.
‘We’re hoping by changing the timing of the awards, so that the nomination period doesn’t coincide with summer holidays, we will increase participation,’ she said in a statement.
‘However, we do recognise that for some people in our community Australia Day is not a day of celebration.’
This is the first time in 29 years that the awards won’t be held on Australia Day.
At a council meeting in September, Cr Darren Pearce suggested scrapping the awards all together before it opted instead to simply push back the date.
He said that while he was a ‘big supporter of Australia day’, it was inevitable that some community members would see the change as a move to undermine the national holiday.
Cr Nicole Seymour said the decision was ‘definitely not about Australia Day’ but instead about engaging with the community and creating civic pride.
However, contradictions in the council’s reports into shifting the date of the awards were pointed out by residents who opposed the decision.
They said that one report reflected a desire to improve the award ceremony, while another one said that keeping them on Australia Day was at odds with its desire for recognition.
A handful of local residents have since began petitioning the council to reconsider such a ‘significant decision’.
‘This proposal is clearly being driven by certain councilors wanting to scrap Australia Day, and it is not representative of our local community,’ they wrote on social media.
‘It is important that a decision as important as scrapping the Knox Community Australia Day Awards not be taken lightly, and should not be decided by a small handful of councilors.’
A follow-up report will be presented by the council at a later date to determine when the award ceremony will be held in 2024.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Knox City Council for comment.
![Knox City Council has announced that it will delay their outstanding citizen awards, which were slated to be presented on Australia Day, after receiving an underwhelming amount of nominations](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/02/76361001-12612769-image-m-2_1696900389977.jpg)
Knox City Council has announced that it will delay their outstanding citizen awards, which were slated to be presented on Australia Day, after receiving an underwhelming amount of nominations
Bass Coast Council in the city’s outer north also changed the date of their awards to create a ‘more inclusive’ celebration, it said in a statement.
The council fought back against a larger proposal to change the date of Australia Day after it received a huge backlash from members of the community.
The majority of Australians oppose changing the date of Australia day, according to Dr Bella d’Abrera, Director of the Foundations of Western Civilisation Program at the Institute of Public Affairs.
‘Australia Day is more than just a date, it represents the establishment of modern Australia as a free and fair country, which we should celebrate,’ she told the Herald Sun.
Despite this, other Victorian councils like Greater Shepparton City Council, Strathbogie Shire Council and Geelong City Council have cancelled all January 26 celebrations in 2024.
Members of each council cited the fact that many Indigenous peoples associate it with the great pain that British settlement inflicted on their people.
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