City of Melbourne to stop campaigning to change the date of Australia Day

The City of Melbourne has voted to stop advocating for the federal government to move Australia Day celebrations to another date.

Councillors voter in 2022 to lobby the federal government to change the date of Australia Day after a survey of its residents showed almost 60 per cent supported the move. 

After an hour of debate, council's meeting last night adopted a position to recognise January 26 as Australia's national day and acknowledge that any decision to change the date lies with the federal, not local, government.

Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece voted for council to acknowledge January 26 as Australia Day but said he still personally believed the date should be changed.

"I understand that for Aboriginal Australians, the 26th of January is seen as Invasion Day and it's a day of heartache," he told 774 ABC Melbourne.

"My view is that we should, as a nation, look to change the date and find a day that we can all get behind.

"But that decision is not made in the town hall chamber … it's a decision that's made in the Australian parliament."

Cr Reece said the council would continue to hold its citizenship ceremony on January 26 and would also host community barbecues and cultural events on the day.

He said the Share the Spirit Festival, which celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, would also continue along with the Day of Mourning dawn service at Camp Sovereignty in Domain Gardens.

Councillor Gladys Liu also voted for council to stop campaigning to change the date.

"We will focus on what we do," she told 774 ABC Melbourne.

"The main thing is how to celebrate, how to feel proud to be Australian, especially on a day when we welcome so many new citizens," Cr Liu said.

"We don't want it to just stop just at the ceremony without any activities afterwards."

As part of its return to full acknowledgement of the day, the council will investigate whether it had room in its budget for a number of multicultural celebrations to complement its annual citizenship ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall.

That includes taking over responsibility for Australia Day parade which used to be held in the city.

The parade was funded by Victorian government but has not returned since being halted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cr Liu said she acknowledged there were a range of views about what January 26 meant to different sections of the community, including First Peoples.

"We always acknowledge the significance the day holds for many First Nations people," she said.

"We want to make sure that people who want to mourn can do that. At the same time, people who want to celebrate Australia Day can also do that."

Cr Liu said individual councillors would still be able to lobby for a change of the date, but it would no longer be the official City of Melbourne position.