The City of Canning has no intention of changing the date it celebrates Australia Day, despite rumblings from some councillors.
In January the Australian Greens announced it would try to push local governments to lead the “change the date” movement, which opposes celebrating Australia Day on January 26.
The date commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet to Australia in 1788, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove.
However, to some the date represents the beginning of a dark period that included massive population decline for Indigenous Australians, as well as displacement from land, and the destruction of cultures and families.
The City of Canning does not host formal events on Australia Day, except for a 30-minute citizenship ceremony on Shelley Foreshore and Canning’s chief executive Arthur Kyron said the city would continue to celebrate Australia Day on January 26 unless council voted for an alternative date.
Mr Kyron said the Canning council had not raised the issue before.
Despite the lack of discussion on the issue within chambers, four of the five councillors elected in October, Yaso Ponnuthurai, Patrick Hall, Graham Barry and Tim Porter, believed residents were opposed to changing the date.
Ms Ponnuthurai said during her campaign residents had asked her to oppose changing the date, which was an experience shared by Mr Hall.
“This perennial campaign to ‘change the date’ is meaningless tokenism that lacks substance,” he said.
Councillor Tim Porter said residents had not quizzed him over the issue during the election, but he expressed a similar sentiment to Mr Hall.
“The day should not be changed due to a group of people trying to make it about what happened on the same day 230 years ago,” he said.
“Those who are trying to hijack the day need to be focusing on the future and not the past, since it will not create real change.”
Councillor Graham Barry said he felt modern Australians should not feel responsible for the actions of previous generations.
However, Beeloo ward councillor Sara Saberi said she was open to discussing change.
“I believe it has to be inclusive to unify all of the people who call themselves Australian,” she said.
“It’s most important to see what the people of Canning think about it.”
Canning deputy mayor Christine Cunningham was not elected in October but is a former Australian Greens co-convenor and supports changing the date.
Dr Cunningham stressed the Australian Greens did not influence her decisions on council.
“As an individual citizen, and certainly not in any way representing the City of Canning, I would like to see the date changed,” she said.
“For me Australia Day represents the beginning of our continent becoming a democratic nation and that was when the act to create our constitution and the naming of our nation as Australia occurred – and that happened on January 1, 1901.”
