By Eleanor Wilson
The City of Casey will continue to hold its Australia Day citizenship ceremony on 26 January, despite Federal Government giving local councils flexibility to choose which day they hold the ceremonies.
On Friday, 16 December, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Giles announced local councils could hold Australia Day citizenship ceremonies between 23 and 29 January.
The change overrides a controversial rule by the former Morrison Government, which meant any council that didn’t hold ceremonies on January 26 could be stripped of their right to hold citizenship events, as a number of Melbourne local governments refused to recognise the national holiday.
Despite the changes made available to councils, City of Casey’s director community life Callum Pattie confirmed its citizenship ceremonies would go ahead on the public holiday.
“We are currently reviewing and developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) that will be informed by extensive consultation with the local Indigenous community, as well as broader Casey community,” he said.
“The RAP will inform council’s position on this, and all other related matters.”
In 2017, Yarra and Darebin councils were stripped of their power to hold citizenship ceremonies after both councils voted not to hold the ceremonies on 26 January, in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Both councils would have their ability to hold the ceremonies restored, Mr Giles said.
Mr Giles said his government was “removing red tape” around the ceremonies, although he added it remained a “strong expectation” they were held on 26 January.
“Australian citizenship is an important common bond for all Australians, whether by birth or by choice, and lies at the heart of a unified, cohesive and inclusive Australia,” he said.
“The government’s priority is to ensure that, where people have made the choice to become Australian citizens, they are afforded that opportunity in their own communities, with friends and family, in a timely way.”
The federal government says there are less than 100,000 citizenship applications on hand for the first time in five years.
– With AAP
