Fremantle will fight a federal government ban on holding a citizenship ceremony as part of its alternative Australia Day celebrations on 28 January.
The planned ceremony was blocked by the assistant immigration minister, Alex Hawke, on Friday on the grounds that it would breach the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code, which stipulates that ceremonies must be “non-commercial, apolitical, bipartisan and secular”.
The Fremantle mayor, Brad Pettitt, told the West Australian that the council would try to convince Hawke a ceremony on 28 January would be “like every other”.
If that doesn’t work they will hold a citizenship ceremony on another day, so long as it is not 26 January.
The Western Australian city announced in February that it would replace its usual Australia Day celebrations with a “One Day” celebration two days later, out of respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents who regard 26 January as Invasion Day.
It is the first local government in Australia to act on the “Change the Date” campaign, which calls for Australia’s national day to be moved to a date that is more inclusive.
The decision was made after consultation with community groups, including the local Indigenous community.
This is where the community decision was endorsed by our community to support the Fremantle Shire's decision to #ChangeTheDate pic.twitter.com/J0HFY4LDdw
— Clinton Pryor (@Clintonswalk) December 4, 2016
This pic was shared by Noongar Elder Robert Eggington to show the ppl that Elders were consulted regarding the #Fremantle Aust Day Decisions pic.twitter.com/np4bcFtEZe
— Clinton Pryor (@Clintonswalk) December 4, 2016
Hawke said it sent an anti-Australia Day message and was therefore political.
“It’s really important … we’ve got hundreds of councils administering this around the country … that they don’t get the idea they can use citizenship as a political football,” he said. “We’re very dark on that.”
The WA senator Rachel Siewert said it was hypocritical of the Turnbull government to accuse Fremantle of using citizenship as a political football and disingenuous to characterise opposition to the date change as apolitical.
“I think they need to look at what they have been doing with citizenship before they accuse anyone else of using citizenship as a political football,” she told Guardian Australia.
Siewert said Fremantle was a progressive city and opposition to the date change was loudest outside its boundaries, among the ranks of the WA Liberal party.
Hawke’s office confirmed that he had been asked to look at the issue by Liberal MP Ben Morton, whose electorate of Tangney neighbours the Labor-held seat of Fremantle.
“Citizenship ceremonies should in no way be associated with events making a political statement like Fremantle’s One Day event,” Morton told the West Australian.
Siewert said continuing to celebrate Australia Day on 26 January, given the history of the date and the distress it caused Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, would also make a political statement.
“It’s clearly a political issue and it will continue to be a political people because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and others will continue to raise it as a point of discussion,” she said.
Gubbament says No, pressures town to celebrate #InvasionDay Wave it wave it Wave that flaggy #ChangeTheDate #auspol https://t.co/k1VtLi1hct
— Jack Latimore (@LatimoreJack) December 5, 2016
The first formal protest against against the date, the national Day of Mourning, was held in 1938, just three years after 26 January became known as Australia Day.
It has only been regularly celebrated as a public holiday on that date since 1994 – before then, a public holiday was taken on the Monday closest.
The founder of IndigenousX, Luke Pearson, has said that 26 January “will always be Invasion Day, Survival Day, a Day of Mourning ... It will always be a day of protest for as long as there are things that need to be protested against”.
Hawke has been contacted for comment.
