The push from some Australians to change the date of our national celebration Australia Day to something more culturally sensitive has received a huge boost from Melbourne’s Yarra Council, who have today voted unanimously to stop referring to the date by that name out of respect for our Indigenous population.

As The age reports, the move came in spite of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s warning that the move would be an attack on Australia’s “freedom, a fair go, mateship and diversity,” and could have huge repercussions for the council, who may be barred from holding certain events.

“The council is using a day that should unite Australians to divide Australians,” the Prime Minister said this morning. “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 citizenship ceremonies around Australia are all about inclusion,” he continued. “We begin with a welcome to country and an acknowledgment of country, and we celebrate our multicultural nation; we celebrate the oldest continuous human culture on earth, of our First Australians, just as we celebrate the youngest baby in the newest citizen’s arms.”

Yarra Council wasn’t deterred, however, and the following proposed actions passed through unchallenged and unamended:

  • Refer to Australia Day as “January 26” until another “more appropriate” term is adopted nationally;
  • Stop holding citizenship ceremonies on January 26;
  • Hold a “small-scale, culturally-sensitive event featuring a smoking ceremony that acknowledges the loss of culture, language and identity felt by Aboriginal community on January 26”;
  • Adopt a “communications plan that focuses on broader community education to help people better understand Aboriginal community experiences of January 26”;
  • Officially support the #changethedate campaign in council publications and on social media;
  • Consider ways to lobby the federal government to change the date of Australia Day.

Yarra councillor Stephen Jolly said that while the council itself would be taking these steps, the public would of course be free to celebrate however they see fit.

“It’s not North Korea here, you know,” he said. “We are a small council. If the City of Yarra decides to call it January 26… that does not stop the vast majority of people in the council area calling it Australia Day.

“No one is going to jail because they are having an Australia Day barbecue.”

Indigenous rapper and one half of A.B. Original, Adam Briggs,  took to Twitter to applaud the decision, which he was of course pushing for fiercely with the outfit’s fierce anti-Australia Day anthem ‘January 26’ featuring Dan Sultan.

Along with his A.B. Original counterpart Trials, Briggs has been instrumental in leading the charge in changing the date, while also putting pressure on triple j to move the date of its Hottest 100 countdown from the national holiday as a show of solidarity with Indigenous Australians.

While it’s only one council that’s taken action as drastic as this so far, it’s a big step in the campaign to change the date, and it remains to be seen if any other Australian councils will follow.

A.B Original perform their anti-Australia Day anthem ‘January 26’ on triple j

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