Councils backflipping after move to cancel Australia Day
In what political analysts are calling "the great municipal U-turn", Victorian councils have put their collective heads together and decided to reconsider their reconsiderations about Australia Day celebrations in 2025 and beyond. For residents of the City of Greater Geelong, this means the local council is back on the Australia Day bandwagon – at least until next Tuesday.
Mayor Stretch Kontelj, who is now the face of political flexibility, defended the council’s decision to task the chief executive with preparing yet another report. “It is important to note that Australia Day is a national day proclaimed by the federal government," he said. "And the decision on which date to observe it is not one for local councils to make. Australia Day is a day when we should be reflecting on and celebrating everything that is great and good about this country.”
Last year, the council boldly decided to change how Australia Day was celebrated, citing community feedback and consultation with First Nations Peoples. This year, they consulted again, only to discover the community had changed its mind, or possibly just discovered the feedback forms.
The City of Greater Bendigo also weighed in by shifting its citizenship ceremony to January 25 last year, rather than January 26. And Strathbogie Shire Council also reversed its decision to stop supporting January 26 celebrations, citing a passionate open letter from the Eurora Australia Day Committee.
While we're tempted to dub this latest move "The Great Waffling", councils insist they are simply reflecting the will of the people. Local satirists, meanwhile, are pushing for January 27 to be declared "Reversal Day", where councils could gather to debate reversing their reversals.
For now, Victorians can rest assured their councils are hard at work – at least until someone asks for another consultation.
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