Dutton pledges less choice
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Peter Dutton has pledged to enforce Australia Day citizenship ceremonies on January 26, revoking Labor's changes that allow a three-day window around the date.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has intensified his stance on preserving January 26 as the exclusive date for Australia Day citizenship ceremonies, criticising the Labor government for signalling that the day is “something to be ashamed of”.
He says that a Coalition government would restore the rule requiring councils to hold ceremonies on the day itself within its first 100 days in office.
This comes amid growing debates over the national holiday, which marks a date many Indigenous Australians and others regard as “Invasion Day”, symbolising colonisation and dispossession.
Currently, councils can schedule ceremonies up to three days before or after January 26, but some councils have moved back to the original date. Mr Dutton criticised this flexibility, attributing it to the government's lack of clear leadership.
“The Prime Minister sent a signal to those councils that Australia Day did not matter,” Dutton said.
He describes Australia Day as a “sacrosanct” occasion for migrants.
“There are millions of Australians who have made the migrant journey to our country. They have enriched this country, and for many of them, Australia Day is sacrosanct because they became citizens on that day,” he recently told reporters.
Mr Albanese has refrained from commenting on Dutton’s declarations, noting that his local council still holds ceremonies on January 26.
The Prime Minister confirmed he would attend the national commemoration in Canberra, urging Mr Dutton to do the same.
However, Mr Dutton indicated he would not attend, dismissing the suggestion as irrelevant to the broader issue.
The federal government, aiming to avoid cultural disputes, has allocated $10 million for inclusive Australia Day events nationwide.
Assistant Minister Patrick Gorman says the day is an opportunity to celebrate the country’s diverse heritage and pay respects to First Nations peoples.
Mr Dutton's focus on Australia Day has become something of an annual event itself, after he last year criticised Woolworths for not stocking Australia Day merchandise and having recently taken issue with Indigenous flag displays too.
