Tara Murray
Brimbank council will review how it marks January 26.
The council normally holds a citizenship ceremony, along with the naming of its citizens of the year on that date.
With more people calling for Australia Day to be moved due to the pain the day causes many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, councillor Jae Papalia called for a report to be produced for Brimbank council on options and recommendations on how to acknowledge that date going forward.
Speaking at last week’s council meeting, Cr Papalia said the council has the ability to make a decision on what best represents the diverse community.
“January 26 has long been positioned as a day of celebration and unity but for many Australians, this is a day that divides us,” she said.
“Last year I had the privilege of hearing a first nations man telling his story in a way that profoundly affected me.
“He explained the pain he feels each year on January 26 and asked me to picture intruders coming into my home and killing my friends and family. He then asked me to have a think about how I would feel if those same people came over and had a barbecue, on the same day every year after these horrific events.
“These words resonated deeply with me, because I had never thought what this annual celebration could feel like for first nations people.”
Cr Papalia said she had been behind looking at change since she got on council, but only now changes to protocols had made it possible.
Previously, if a council stopped citizenship ceremonies on January 26, it was deemed a significant breach of the citizenship protocol and the council was stripped of its rights to hold any future citizenship ceremonies.
As part of the review the council will undertake a community engagement process including with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities including Traditional Owner organisations to understand community sentiment about January 26.
