Wyndham councillors have rejected a proposal to ask the Federal Government for national direction on how Australia Day should be observed, voting 10–1 to remove the motion from the council’s planned submissions to the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly in Canberra.
The decision was made at the 24 February council meeting, as councillors debated which issues Wyndham would take to the national gathering, scheduled for 23 to 25 June.
An officer’s report had recommended two motions: one urging federal action to address loneliness through housing mechanisms, and another seeking “national leadership on the observance of Australia Day”.
The Australia Day proposal argued that councils across the country are observing 26 January in different ways, leading to “inconsistency, confusion and division within communities”, and called on the Federal Government to provide clearer guidance.
Councillors who opposed escalating the issue said Wyndham should keep control of how it marks the day locally.
Cr Peter Maynard said it was absurd for council to ask the Federal Government to tell Wyndham what it could or could not do on the day.
“It is up to the federal government to decide when that day is, but I will not be told what we as a group of councillors ….. can do on Australia Day,” Cr Maynard said.
“It’s just bizarre that we would ask a government to tell us what we can do… and that is being nice.”
Cr Jennie Barrera supported that position, pointing out that motions drafted by officers are prepared at the direction of councillors.
Cr Jasmine Hill spoke in favour of keeping the request, saying mixed responses to 26 January across councils create confusion for migrants.
“It is very confusing as a migrant, and a lot of migrants come to me and say it’s so confusing,” Cr Hill said.
“If you celebrate and somebody is actually offended, it is very hard to navigate.”
She said councils are left to manage the fallout of a national decision they did not make.
“Councils are left to manage community division… we are left to manage media scrutiny and political debate for a decision we did not make.”
In the end, the vote was decisive. Councillors rejected the Australia Day component 10–1, opting to advance only the loneliness and housing motion to the national agenda, while reserving the right to determine locally how 26 January is observed.
