Moreland City Council in Melbourne has voted to remove all references to Australia Day from its events, following a councillor's comparison of the national day to celebrating the Nazi Holocaust. Councillor Sue Bolton of the Socialist Alliance argued that hosting ceremonies on 26 January is 'grossly insensitive' to Indigenous Aboriginal people, drawing parallels with genocide.
The decision stops short of cancelling the official citizenship ceremony held on the same date. Assistant Immigration Minister Alex Hawke condemned the move on behalf of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, calling the Holocaust comparison 'deeply offensive' and warning that the government may strip the council of its right to administer citizenship ceremonies, as it did with two other Melbourne councils last month.
Greens MP Rachel Siewert accused the federal government of overreach, saying it should 'reflect on why local councils are taking this step'. Councillors John Kavanagh and Oscar Yildiz opposed the motion, with Yildiz stating that rejecting the day 'means rejecting our own ancestry and customs'.
Bolton stood by her comments despite backlash from Jewish community leaders, explaining that her aim was to 'dramatise what happened to Aboriginal people' and highlight historical atrocities. Australia Day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, while many Indigenous Australians mark it as 'Invasion Day' or 'Survival Day'.
