Why This Melbourne Council Voted to Stop Celebrating Australia Day on January 26

The Australia Day debate has again erupted, with a Melbourne council voting to drop all references to Australia Day and to ditch its annual citizenship ceremony in favour of a culturally sensitive event that acknowledges the loss of Indigenous culture.

Yarra Council made the call at last night's town hall meeting after ongoing discussions with local Indigenous representatives. "The overwhelming sentiment from our Aboriginal community is that January 26 is a date of sadness, trauma and distress. They have told us that this is not a day of celebration, but a day of mourning," said Yarra Mayor, Cr Amanda Stone in a statement. The council had also commissioned a survey of nearly 300 non-Indigenous people in Yarra, which showed that 78.6 percent of respondents supported the concept of a January 26 event to acknowledge Aboriginal experiences.

"In the last 12 months there has been a groundswell of community support for change from both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people across the country. The community is looking for leadership on this issue," said Cr Stone. "People can still have their barbecues and parties on the January 26 public holiday, but I hope our stance encourages people to stop and think about what this date really means in the history of our nation.

"A celebration of national identity should be inclusive of all Australians. 26 January is not an appropriate date because it marks the beginning of British colonisation and the loss of culture, language and land for Australia's First Peoples."

However, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has voiced his disapproval, criticising Yarra Council. "An attack on Australia Day is a repudiation of the values the day celebrates: freedom, a fair go, mateship and diversity," the PM said in a statement, reported by the ABC. "I recognise Australia Day, and its history, is complex for many Indigenous Australians but the overwhelming majority of Australians believe the 26th of January is the day and should remain our national day."

The council vote has seen a swag of recommendations approved, including adopting a communications plan to better educate people on the Indigenous experience surrounding January 26, and referring to the day as January 26 until there's a nationally adopted term to use in its place.

Yarra Council's also moved to use their publications and social media channels to officially support the #changethedate campaign, and will explore ways to lobby the Federal Government on the issue.

The controversial decision follows on from Fremantle Council's move to hold its official 2017 Australia Day celebrations two days later than normal, on January 28, though it looks as though these changes by the Yarra Council will be the most extensive we've seen yet.

Image: City of Yarra.