The City of Melbourne council and Victorian government remain steadfast in their Australia Day policies despite a swell in support for the national holiday.
Victoria will not bring back Melbourne’s Australia Day Parade, which was a centrepiece of celebrations up until it was cancelled by former premier Dan Andrews during the Covid period four years ago.
Staff working for the state government and City of Melbourne Council will also continue to have the option to shun Australia Day as a holiday by choosing another day to have off.
Although the City of Melbourne will host traditional citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day the council confirmed it still opposes January 26 as the date of national celebration.
‘The City of Melbourne will host nine citizenship ceremonies in 2025 – including on January 26,’ a council spokesperson told the Herald Sun.
‘Under the City of Melbourne’s enterprise agreement, employees can substitute any public holiday for an alternative paid leave day of their choice.’
The Victorian government said it will still hold some traditional Australia Day activities including the annual 21-gun salute at the Shrine of Remembrance, a RAAF flyover and the Flag Raising Ceremony and Open Day at Government House.
‘The Victorian government supports Australia Day and we fund a range of free events for families,’ a government spokesman said.
The City of Melbourne council and Victorian government remain steadfast in their Australia Day policies despite a swell in support for the national holiday (pictured, Australia Day celebrations on the Gold Coast)
‘We know the day means different things to different people and that’s something we can all be respectful about.’
Earlier this week right-wing think tank the Institute of Public Affairs released a poll showing a surge of support for January 26 as Australia Day, particularly among young people.
The survey, which is held annually, found that 69 per cent of 1,002 respondents agreed that the national public holiday should remain on January 26 – a six point increase from 12 months ago.
There was an even more dramatic increase of support from those aged 18-24 with 52 per cent backing January 26 – up from 42 per cent last year.
The poll showed a majority in every age bracket now prefers January 26 as the date for national commemoration.
It also found 86 per cent of respondents were ‘proud to be Australian’ while 68 per cent agreed that Australia has ‘a history to be proud of’.
January 26, which marks the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney’s Port Jackson in 1788, has been labelled Invasion Day by those who see it as a date for mourning the colonisation and dispossession of Indigenous Australians.
IPA deputy executive Director Daniel Wild said the results demonstrated a shift in the vibe and energy surrounding Australia Day.
Although the City of Melbourne will host traditional citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day the council confirmed it still opposes January 26 as the date of national celebration (pictured, an Invasion Day rally held in 2023)
‘It is clear that mainstream Australians have had a gutful of this attitude and being put upon by the elites,’ Mr Wild said.
‘The 26th of January is more than just a date, it represents the establishment of modern Australia as a free and fair country.’
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has flagged he will make the date of Australia Day an election issue by promising to enact laws forcing councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26.
Daily Mail Australia revealed on Friday more than 150 councils across the country will not be holding citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day this year.
However, that number may be far higher, given just under two-thirds of Australia’s 537 local councils responded to our questions.
Responding councils also revealed that was just one of the measures they were taking to make January 26 feel more inclusive, with some lowering flags to half-mast that day, and others holding healing ceremonies for their new citizens.
In late 2022, the Albanese administration scrapped a previous rule which mandated that councils held citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.
At the time, Anthony Albanese insisted there were ‘no changes here’ but it led to over 80 councils last year deciding to scrap citizenship ceremonies on January 26 in 2023, up from just four a year earlier.
