Liberal leader Peter Dutton has pledged to force councils across Australia to hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26 if he wins the next federal election.
The move, which Dutton says he would implement within his first 100 days in government, is being framed as a boost to national pride and unity.
“I want to celebrate Australia Day and I want to stand there with those new citizens who have come from a country and they want a future for themselves, for their children, their grandchildren,” he said.
“We are one Australian people and we celebrate diversity, celebrate our wonderful Indigenous heritage and our incredible migrant story, but we will not be truly united when we’re not living under one flag.”
Minister Eric Abetz voiced his absolute agreement, saying individual councils should not get to determine when they think Australia Day should be.
“I think there is now a situation developing in Australia where people are saying we are sick and tired of this relentless negativity of this deliberate revision of our history to say that everything that’s been done is bad,” he said.
“I think people are now reflecting and saying we might have done some things bad but you know what, compared to the rest of the world, we’ve got a lot to celebrate and be thankful for to our forebears and that’s what Australia Day is about.”
Glenorchy Mayor Sue Hickey, one of many councils to move away from holding a ceremony on the 26th, says the move would not have her support.
“I don’t approve of what they’re doing. I think each council has the right to do what they believe is in the best interest of their community,” she told SCA.
“By legislating it as [January] 26 and enforcing it, it means that you’re going to have staff having to come off breaks … There’s a lot of checking and dotting and being there with the flowers and the platters and all the rest of it.”
“It’ll be very, very expensive for the average council. It goes against what we’ve done for a long time.”
