KEY POINTS
- Local councils will no longer be forced to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.
- The change reverses a rule that was introduced by former prime minister Scott Morrison in 2019.
- The federal government says the move is for "operational reasons".
Local councils will no longer be forced to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day in a move the federal government says is for "operational" reasons.
Rules introduced in 2019 under then-prime minister Scott Morrison or be stripped of their right to conduct them. Mr Morrison at the time said compelling local councils to do so would stop them from "playing politics with Australia Day".
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles on Friday revealed Labor would walk back that restriction but said it remained the government's "strong expectation" that councils would hold ceremonies on the date.
Councils will now be able to hold ceremonies three days before or after 26 January, in what the government described as a "pragmatic" decision to make processing more efficient.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said it remained the federal government's "strong expectation" that local councils would hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi
"It is also the day when more people become citizens than any other time of the year and, for those who have joined our great Australian community from all corners of the world, becoming a citizen is an unforgettable occasion to be treasured forever.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton accused Labor of "laying the groundwork to abolish January 26 as Australia Day", but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there would be "no changes".
"I support Australia Day, the government supports Australia Day, there are no changes here," Mr Albanese told reporters in Sydney.
"The rules, the way they were fashioned, meant that citizens who are not part of the decisions of when ceremonies would be were missing out on becoming Australian citizens.
"We want people to become Australian citizens and that is why we should not place red tape for ideological reasons in front of that opportunity."
Mr Giles has also reinstated the rights of the City of Yarra and Darebin City councils to hold ceremonies. Both were , who blasted them as "out of step with Australian values".
For some Australians, , 26 January is not a day of celebration. It is seen as a day that commemorates the 1788 arrival of British settlers at Sydney Cove where they raised the Union Jack. For Indigenous people, and is referred to as "Invasion Day" by some.
Merri-bek this month became the third Melbourne council to announce with councillor James Conlan describing celebrations on the date as "pretty shameful".
But Labor insisted the reversal was made for "operational" reasons, saying councils had voiced concerns over higher costs associated with holding events on a public holiday.
“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," Mr Giles 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.”
At the beginning of this month, there were 98,000 outstanding citizenship applications, the first time that number had dipped below 100,000 in more than half a decade.
