January 26 represents a complicated day for Australians with debates continuing over whether this should be a day to celebrate Australia or whether we should Change the Date.
Councils across Tasmania including the Hobart City Council and Huon Valley Council have recently moved to have their citizenship ceremonies observed on a different day.
Kingborough Council could be soon to follow.
Kingborough Mayor Paula Wriedt said “I appreciate that for our First Nations People that the celebration of Australia Day on 26th January each year is a day of mourning”.
“Increasingly non-Indigenous people also seem to be mindful that celebrating colonisation is not appropriate in a caring and inclusive community.
“With the recent changes by the Federal Government in relation to the timing of citizenship ceremonies, I recently consulted Councillors to seek their feedback,” Cr Wriedt said.
“The majority of them believe that we should move our January citizenship ceremony away from 26th January, given that it is no longer mandatory to hold one on that day.
“A report will come to Council in the near future to make a formal decision to move future January citizenship ceremonies to a few days either side of 26 January.”
Health Care Manager at South East Tasmanian Aboriginal Corporation (SETAC) Jaime Currie believes that the conversation should be bigger than the Invasion Day topic.
“We’ve seen the councils move on from this date,” Jaime said.
“This is part of the truth telling process.”
Jaime said that SETAC would like to see more support from local and state bodies of government in Closing the Gap, a government strategy that seeks to bring the health and life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on par with non-Indigenous Australians.
Jaime acknowledges the support Kingborough Council has offered its Indigenous community but said it can “Always get better”.
“Keep us at the table,” Jaime said.
“Collaborate in meaningful ways.”
Jaime cited land management practices and dual place names as items for Council to consider.
When reached out for comment, Mayor Wriedt said “Kingborough Council will continue to work with SETAC on issues such as dual place names and land management issues”.
