Liam McNally
Melton council has opted to continue to hold a citizenship ceremony on January 26, and will step up the size of the event by moving it to Cobblebank Stadium.
The matter was discussed at a council meeting on September 26, following a federal change to the Citizenship Act late last year which no longer requires local councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.
Historically, Melton has held a ceremony on January 26 at the Willows. Council officers recommended the date of this ceremony be changed based on the associated cost of holding an event at the park on the public holiday.
According to a council document it costs ratepayers $59,000 to hold a ceremony that confers citizenship on 200 new Australians at the Willows on January 26, while non-public holiday ceremonies held at Cobblebank Stadium cost $11,400 to confer citizenship on 400 people.
Councillor Ashleigh Vandenberg supported the officers’ recommendation on the basis that the money saved from holding the event on a different day could be put towards holding more ceremonies.
“We often get various emails from residents who are going to become Australian citizens that the wait list is too long and they really want to become citizens as soon as possible allowing them to get on with their lives,” she said.
Councillor Sophie Ramsay moved an alternate motion to continue holding the ceremony on January 26 but to move it to Cobblebank.
“Australia Day and the citizenship ceremonies that go along with Australia day have been an important civic event for this community since I’ve been elected on to council for the last 22 years,” she said.
Cr Ramsay added that moving the event to Cobblebank and inducting more citizens on January 26 would reduce the event cost.
In the past six weeks nearby councils in Brimbank, Maribyrnong and Macedon Ranges all elected to move their citizenship ceremonies, citing that the day is considered as a day of mourning for Aboriginal people.
While this area of the debate was largely left out of the meeting’s discussion, councillor Bob Turner did acknowledge it.
“It’s not a council decision whether Australia Day is on the 26th of January or not,” he said.
“If the government decides it’s going to be on whatever other day then so be it. But right now it’s the 26th and I feel we should have our Australia Day celebrations.”
Cr Vandenberg voted against the motion, Councillor Steve Abboushi Abstained and all other councillors voted to keep the citizenship ceremony on January 26 and move it to Cobblebank stadium with a larger capacity.
