Waverley Council in Sydney has rejected a proposal to expand its Australia Day celebrations after its Indigenous advisory board warned the event would cause harm.
The council in Sydney's eastern suburbs decided against funding a $20,000 community event featuring a free barbecue and market stalls following a unanimous recommendation from its First Nations Advisory Committee.
Australia Day, held annually on 26 January, marks the arrival of the British First Fleet at Port Jackson in 1788. While many Australians celebrate the national holiday, many Indigenous Australians view the date as Invasion Day or a day of mourning marking colonization and loss of land.
A report presented to the council stated that committee members felt they were being asked to celebrate at the expense of history and the devastation that resulted. The report added that the only additional activities supported by the committee on Australia Day would be a "Survival Day" activity.
Labor councillor Margaret Merten opposed the proposal because the advisory committee had unanimously rejected it. Merten led a local campaign to support the Yes vote in the 2023 Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.
"Committee members of the First Nations Advisory Committee unanimously oppose the proposed Australia Day event," Merten said. "Our First Nations Advisory Committee said that they're not opposed to celebrating being Australian, but recommended this not be done on the 26th of January."
Proposals for expanded celebrations
The proposal originated in June when Liberal councillor Lauren Townsend pushed for a larger Australia Day event, but the $400,000 cost was deemed too expensive.
Councillors Dov Frazer and Joshua Spicer later proposed a budget-friendly alternative featuring a free barbecue and community market stalls costing $20,000.
Spicer backed the proposal, saying it would provide "something for everyone" by combining the Dawn Reflection, citizenship ceremonies, community barbecue and local market stalls.
"I think there is no better way to celebrate the freedom we all enjoy than the free enterprise of market stalls of local businesses in our community," Spicer said.
Frazer acknowledged that many Indigenous Australians viewed the date as one of mourning. "For many Aboriginal people, the 26th of January is a day of mourning," he said. "That is not a talking point. It's a fact and it deserves respect."
However, Frazer argued the revised proposal built on existing council events and aligned with recommendations to strengthen the community barbecue after the Dawn Reflection. "We begin Australia Day at dawn acknowledging and honouring our First Nations people and spend the rest of the day celebrating what we have all built together," he said. "That is not a contradiction."
Objections to the revised budget
Other councillors questioned both the cost and the necessity of the proposed addition. Greens councillor Ludovico Fabiano argued that the council already struck the right balance through its existing program.
"We already have a process, a system in place that's been accepted," Fabiano said. "We do citizenship ceremonies, we have a Welcome to Country and we already have a barbecue afterwards."
Independent councillor Steven Lewis questioned whether the proposal was value for money, pointing out that a barbecue was already run by the Bondi Surf Club.
"To spend $20,000 just to fulfil an earlier motion seems unnecessary," Lewis said. "It adds nothing, it won't be noticed and that's why I'm going to vote against it."
Council plan for 2027
Waverley Council will retain its existing Australia Day program in 2027. The schedule will continue to feature a Dawn Reflection ceremony, citizenship proceedings, and a community barbecue.
