Motion to withdraw Australia Day support defeated after tied vote at Launceston council, but Aboriginal community remains hopeful

The council will instead review its policy position of recognising the date, with a report to be completed in the first half of this year following consultation with the wider community.

Nine of the 10 councillors who spoke on the motion – brought forward by Councillor Tim Walker – were supportive of changing the date of Australia Day, but some had concerns about unknown ramifications if the council changed its policy.

Mayor Albert van Zetten and councillors Andrea Dawkins, Nick Daking, Karina Stojansek and Tim Walker voted in favour of withdrawing support for the date, with Deputy Mayor Danny Gibson and Councillor Janie Finlay abstaining, leaving the vote tied 5-5.

Abstaining votes were counted in the negative.

While disappointed, members of the Launceston Aboriginal community who were present in the chambers were encouraged by the comments of councillors.

Aboriginal community member Adam Thompson said the close vote gave the community hope.

“That’s encouraging because the Launceston council has a history of being quite conservative, so its really refreshing to see progressive thinkers on the council,” he said.

“It’s difficult for us as a minority to have our values represented, when we have a majority of people who have different opinions.”

Councillors spoke of the need for leadership from the federal government on the issue, and most saw changing the date of Australia Day as inevitable.

Mayor van Zetten said he was disappointed with the debate at a federal level.

“We do have a federal government that is probably more divisive than trying to reconcile at the moment by making it harder and harder,” he said.

“It’s really disappointing to me as a person to see that happen federally.

“It’s certainly not good enough.”

Cr Walker put forward the motion at this week’s council after discussions with the local Aboriginal community, believing that January 26 was “not inclusive to all members of our community”.

The motion was to withdraw support for events and ceremonies that celebrate Australia Day on January 26, and to lobby the federal government for an alternative date – a similar position to that taken by other northern Tasmanian councils.

Cr Walker said the date was insulting to the Aboriginal community, and was “not a worthy date to celebrate this great country”.

“For 231 years, Anglo-European culture has dominated over that of the existing custodians of this land,” he said.

“The simple question to answer if whether we, as a council and a city, and ultimately as a nation, choose to continue to support this oppression of culture via the celebration of a day that represents, not the forming of our great nation, not the unity of our purpose, not inclusiveness or tolerance, but represents the sorrow and subjugation of an entire culture.

“This is about acknowledging history, and seeing January 26 for what it is: a potent symbol of colonial ignorance over understanding.”

Cr Hugh McKenzie said it “doesn’t make any sense whatsoever” to have a national day that harmed Aboriginal people.

“For people of Aboriginal backgrounds, I understand why you wouldn’t like that as a day to celebrate. You have my full support in relation to that matter,” he said.

His views were echoed by other councillors, including Cr Stojansek, who said it was clear that the date needed to change.

“Right now Australia Day is not a celebration for everyone. For Indigenous Australians is marks the beginning of hundreds of years of suffering and inequality,” she said.

Australia used to have a celebration on the last weekend of January that was not tied to a specific date, and January 26 only became a public holiday called “Australia Day” in 1994.

Mayor van Zetten said this change had caused “friction” in the community and a solution needed to be found.

Cr Alan Harris had a few suggestions.

“Perhaps other days that could be considered, the 13th of February was the day Kevin Rudd gave The Apology to parliament,” he said.

“The 9th of May was the day the Constitution passed our parliament.

“The reality is that we need to find a day that all people can get behind, but I don’t believe that this is something that council needs to be doing at this stage.”

The literal meaning behind January 26, 1788, was also questioned.

It marked the landing of the First Fleet at Port Jackson in New South Wales and the raising of the British flag at Sydney Cove – the formation of the colony of New South Wales.

Cr Soward said he did not understand why this date was of significance for the rest of Australia.

“If you said to me, what should a national day be? A national day to me should be a day that brings a community together, brings a country together, brings a state together,” he said.

“Is the 26th of January that date? Absolutely not.”

He said January 1, 1901, “was the day Australia was born” and would be a more appropriate date.

Both Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten have both put their support behind Australia Day on January 26, and a change of date does not appear to be on the horizon.

Cr Paul Spencer said it was “probably the wrong date”, but it was not up to individual councils to make that decision.

“We can’t have an Australia Day on a certain date different to Australia, it’s ridiculous,” he said.

“I think there’s too much to lose for us to change the date.”

Cr Soward said the approach of individual councils making their own decision was further dividing the community, and it was up to the federal government to show leadership.

“My fear, and there are a number of councils around Australia, not just Tasmania, that have taken the approach of doing something else, is that in some ways that can divide the argument a little,” he said.

“That to me creates further division.”

In the end, concern about the consequences of the council decision caused the motion to fail.

Cr McKenzie said voting with the heart was easy – but the reality of the situation was troubling.

“I would like to see more work done on what implication it has for the City of Launceston post a decision, so we can go in with our eyes open,” he said.

“Hopefully out of that we get a better result for everybody.”

Nancy Serisier helps to prepare new migrants in Launceston for the citizenship test, volunteering with the Migrant Resource Centre North.

Her role involves teaching them that Australia Day celebrates the arrival of the First Fleet – but not what occurred afterwards in relation to Aboriginal people.

The only information they are given about Aboriginal people is the flag, and “some interpretation”.

Ms Serisier addressed councillors, and said this – along with Australia Day on January 26 – was not the right way to go.

“Australia Day is not an inclusive day, therefore January 26 is a bad day to have it, and not a good day for Australian citizenship celebrations,” she said.

“Mayor and councillors, I would really like you to have the courage to display some culturally sensitive empathy and respect for Aboriginal people and please don’t hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.”

While dejected as they left the council chambers, members of the Aboriginal community in Launceston believed change was just around the corner.

“It’s only a matter of time until the council will be on board with this,” Mr Thompson said.

“It’s encouraging that it nearly did.”

He said it should not be up to councils however, and change should come from the top.

“It’s very disappointing that the federal government is trying to pressure local councils to continue to hold these events on this day, knowing its offensive,” Mr Thompson said.

“We’ve seen local councils, other ones around Australia, changing the date of their Australia Day activities, and they’re leading by example, they’re disregarding the consequences of the federal government, they’re hoping to support and grow the campaign.

“Hopefully things change soon.”