A local SA government appears to have made use of new federal rules allowing citizenship ceremonies to be held 3 days from Australia Day.
The City of Mitcham council in South Australia has invited the community to celebrate Australia Day and welcome its new citizens on Jan. 23, three days ahead of the actual date of celebrations.
While most traditional Australia Day events tend to be held during the day, the council’s celebrations will be held by night.
Running from 5–8 p.m., the event includes a long list of free activities including food stalls, a free sausage sizzle, children’s events and live music.
The region’s citizenship ceremony will also be held on the same date.
The council has not yet explained the date change, but the timing could be explained by a law change made in 2022, when the federal government announced councils could choose to hold citizenship ceremonies three days either side of Jan. 26.
Previously, local governments were expected to hold the events on Australia Day.
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City of Mitcham Mayor Heather Holmes-Ross was contacted for comment.
Australia Day is a public holiday held annually on Jan. 26 to commemorate the arrival of the First Fleet from Great Britain in 1788, which marked the beginning of European colonisation of the continent.
While some argue the day is an important national celebration of Australia’s values, there have been calls from some corners—particularly amid the global cancel culture push—to change the date as it could be deemed offensive to Indigenous people.
Protest groups argue the date marks the beginning of the dispossession of Indigenous people and may sometimes call it “Invasion Day” instead.
Australia Day Debate
Australia Day has become a topic almost as hot as the summer sun in recent years as a growing divide forms between those who believe in keeping the traditional date and those who say it marks the beginning of atrocities committed against Aboriginal people.
Sausages are cooked on the BBQ at Ramsgate Beach, Botany Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 26, 2024. Jenny Evans/Getty Images
Late last year, a hotel chain backflipped on a decision to cancel Jan. 26 celebrations at its hundreds of venues across the nation.
Australian Venue Co. initially made the call due to the “sadness” and “hurt” it said the date caused to Indigenous Australians. However, following widespread backlash, the group said Australians could celebrate as they pleased.
Academic and Indigenous commentator Anthony Dillon told The Epoch Times that Australia Day was not an offensive event.
“We don’t have to tolerate nonsense,” he said, adding that Australia Day is, and should always be, about celebrating what’s great about the nation.
“It’s not disrespecting Aboriginal people in any way,” Dillon said. “If you’re not Indigenous Australian, don’t let anyone tell you it’s offensive.
“That’s their opinion, not fact.”
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