Australia Day: Councils to be banned from changing the date if Liberals win SA election

Councils would be banned from changing the date they use to celebrate Australia Day in South Australia, the State Liberals have declared, if they win government in March.

SA Opposition Leader Steven Marshall, who is also the spokesperson for Aboriginal Affairs, said he “loved Australia Day” and wanted to make sure it remained the same.

“The reality is there are plenty of people in the Aboriginal community who would like to see the day changed,” Mr Marshall said.

“But we’ve made a decision in the Liberal Party that this would not be in the best interests of Australia.

“If we’re elected in March next year, we’ll amend the Local Government Act to ensure that Australia Day is and remains on January 26, and that councils hold their citizenship ceremonies on that day.”

The City of Marion had considered changing the date it used to celebrate Australia Day following a motion by Councillor Bruce Hull but decided against it earlier this month.

“Local councils should be focused on improving the lives of their local communities rather than on national politics,” Mayor Kris Hanna said at the time

nterstate, Hobart City Council last night voted to formally join a national campaign to change to the date, which is considered provocative by many in the Indigenous community because it marks the arrival of the First Fleet and beginning of Australia’s “invasion”.

Mr Marshall said he did not want the issue to become a political “battleground”.

“There are people in our midst who seek to turn this into an issue which divides Australia rather than unities Australia and the Liberal Party says ‘no’,” he said.

“The motivation for some local government councillors … is to turn this into a divisive issue and we just don’t believe that this serves the interests of our country.

“We don’t want to turn this into a battleground. It’s a day of celebration and it should be kept that way.”

‘No consultation’ with Indigenous community

Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement chief executive Cheryl Axelby said she was not aware of Mr Marshall having consulted with Aboriginal people ahead of the policy.

“And if that’s the type of leadership that we’re going to get from the Minister who holds the Aboriginal Affairs portfolio and who doesn’t engage or consult with Aboriginal people on such matters of significance, then quite frankly, I’m alarmed,” she said.

Aboriginal leader Tauto Sansbury called it a “populist vote for Steven and the Liberal Party” and said they did not understand the impact of January 26 on Indigenous people.

Mr Marshall would not confirm whether or not he had held any specific form of consultation with the local Aboriginal community ahead of releasing the policy.

“I’m speaking to Indigenous South Australians [and] Indigenous Australians every day of the week,” he said.

“This is my eighth year on the board of Reconciliation SA.

“We’re ruling a line under [the debate and] making it very clear to people that Australia will be celebrated in South Australia on the 26th of January.”

SA Greens MLC Tammy Franks described the Liberal policy as a “bizarre reaction” to the debate.

“I thought Australia was a nation that embraced diversity and dissent, not mandated conformity?” she said.

 

“The Greens will vote against any attempt to mandate compliance of councils to perform citizenship ceremonies on any day.”

Ms Franks said local communities should be left to operate the way that best reflected their needs and desires.