At this year’s ALGA National Assembly, a resolution was passed that will see the assembly encourage councils to lobby the Federal Government to change the date of Australia day.
The motion, which was put forward by Hobart City Council, was supported 64 to 62 votes. Key arguments of the motion included the increasing public rallies by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, the non-inclusiveness of the current date, and the relative youth of the celebration date (1994).
In a statement following the resolution, ALGA said the next steps would emerge in due course,
“The Board of ALGA will meet in July to consider this and other Assembly resolutions and determine what action the Board will take. The ALGA noted the level of debate and the closeness of the result of the debate and will take these matters into consideration when determining a course of action.” The statement said.
City of Hobart, Lord Mayor Alderman Sue Hickey said the result was a reflection of community sentiment,
“There is a growing momentum that the 26th of January is not representative of who we are as Australians and it is certainly not inclusive of the first people," she said.
Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey also spoke in support of resolution, saying that the time was right for the Federal Government to change the date of Australia Day to one that included all Australians.
Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Alex Hawke said most Australians would prefer the date remained the same,
"This close result was at a forum where it is easy for the views of small minorities, such as those of Greens councillors, to be given more importance than those of everyday Australians." He said.
Whilst some councils have already moved their Australia Day celebration, the Federal Government provides the directive on when citizenship ceremonies are held.